Calls For Police To Be Barred from Birmingham Pride

Human rights and LGBTQ+ activist Peter Tatchell has called for the West Midlands Police to be banned from the annual Pride celebrations until they issue an official apology for their historic persecution of LGBTQ+ people: “Until they apologize, the police are not welcome. No apology, no participation.” 

 
In a written letter to the Chief Constable of West Midlands, Mr. Tatchell sought a statement of apology for the behavior of the force throughout history, stating that it was “time that you apologized for the past persecution of LGBT+ people by West Midlands police. Your force was one of the most homophobic in Britain. While you are not responsible for past wrongs, you are head of the force that witch-hunted us. I hope you will draw a line under that persecution by making an apology, so we can move forward together.” 

Chief Constable Sir David Thompson responded with his regrets but refused to issue a formal apology on behalf of the force. Defending this stance, Thompson suggested that the police were simply enforcing legislation at the time, and though he sees those anti-LGBTQ+ laws as “repugnant’ now, he cannot apologize on their behalf for carrying out their duties.

Mr. Tatchell previously confronted the Chief Constable at Birmingham Pride in 2021, imploring him to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the homophobic actions of the force he represents and the immeasurable impact they had on the lives of many innocent people.

“Upon conviction, gay men were often jailed and beaten up in prison. Others were hit with huge fines. Many lost their jobs, homes and marriages. Some were bashed by homophobic mobs, driven to mental breakdowns and even attempted suicide. With the stigma of a criminal conviction for a homosexual offence, a lot of the victims of police homophobia had great difficulty in getting jobs and housing. Their lives were ruined by the police.”

Despite the Chief Constable’s refusal, Peter Tatchell continues to campaign for justice, believing that a formal statement of apology from the West Midlands police “would at least acknowledge that the law was wrong - not the men who were criminalized, punished, stigmatized and vilified.”