West Midlands Police urged to apologise for past homophobia
The call comes in a letter to the Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, from the veteran human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell
West Midlands Police is being urged to apologise for its “past witch-hunting” of the LGBTQ+ community ahead of Birmingham Pride on May 27.
The call comes in a letter to the Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, from veteran human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell.
”The West Midlands force was one of the most homophobic in Britain and went out of its way to target consenting, victimless behaviour that harmed no one. It wrecked the lives of thousands of LGBT+ people,” said Mr Tatchell.
“The former Chief Constable apologised in 2020 to the black community for the history of racism by its officers. This apology was well received and strengthened the case for a similar apology to the LGBT+ community.
“I hope a formal apology will be made to the LGBT+ community ahead of the upcoming Birmingham Pride on May 27. It would help further improve LGBT+ trust and confidence in the police, which is what we all want,” said Mr Tatchell, director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.
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