As Manchester pride, one of Europe’s biggest LGBT festivals, draws to a close, I realise something. That I am not a gay man, but a black gay man. For many black LGBT people like me, pride ironically is one of those events that excludes you. A time when as gay people we are supposedly meant…
Yesterday on social media, I congratulated Britain’s Nicola Adams on winning Gold at the Rio Olympics, and all the other Black women before her who have done the same. It struck me that they were positive role models for all children around the world. However, some white men didn’t like what I had written. This got me thinking…
Last Friday I heard about the Black Lives Matter movement protests around the UK, in particular that the M4 motorway into Heathrow Airport had been blocked by those protesting against police brutality and violence towards people of colour. It was then that I saw comment after comment from white people saying that racism in Britain…
In the early hours of the morning UK time, I watched Barack Obama speak as President of the United States for the last time at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, in the hope of getting Hillary Clinton into the White House next year. Just a few days ago, I watched as First Lady Michelle Obama…
Today Theresa May takes over the helm of what many are calling the Brexit sinking ship as UK Prime Minister, after being chosen by just 199 Tory MPs as their leader. Yesterday, Her Majesty’s Official Opposition failed in removing its own leader in a coup. And I’ve just learnt that there will now be a debate on the EU…
My heart sank when I heard about the shooting of 49 people in Orlando, with many more injured, at a LGBT nightclub. As a gay man, my first thoughts were for my LGBT brothers and sisters and their allies caught up in this act of violence. But then my sadness turned to disappointment. As a…
Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, known to many as ‘The Black Farmer’. I’ve been fortunate to have met lots of interesting people over the years for coffee and a chat, but Wilfred is someone who took me by surprise. The British black farmer is a force to be reckoned with, and an inspiring man. Wilfred…
As a former Scotland Yard detective, I was curious to read the book Undercover: The True Story of Britain’s Secret Police by Rob Evans and Paul Lewis and today finished it. Fundamentally, it is an investigation by The Guardian’s two journalists into the UK’s undercover policing operations and whether we as the British public consent to…
With one thing and another, I hadn’t visited my hometown of Liverpool for some time. But recently I’d been thinking about it a lot, especially my family and friends there. And added to this was the article I wrote last month for The Independent, about anti-fascists coming to the city. On Sunday however, I found…
Yesterday, a White Man March was due to take place in my hometown of Liverpool by the controversial National Action. At first, I was sceptical about why my city was allowing this to take place especially given its diversity. I’m all for freedom of speech, tolerance and the likes, but this wasn’t about any of these.…
As a former Scotland Yard detective, Monday night’s documentary on Britain’s biggest police force was a real piece of drama. It was a public relations success, with even non-cop documentary viewers like me tuning-in. And let’s not be coy, the programme was to improve the image of The Met after so many scandals especially around…
I read with dismay and saw the horrendous pictures yesterday of Veronica Bolina, a Brazilian transgender woman, who was stripped, had her head shaved and face disfigured by the police in the South American country. I tweeted about this, and it went viral throughout the world and is still going. This got me thinking about…
Even Though Another Year Has Passed. You Are Always On Our Mind.
Today, marks yet another milestone in my life. Against all the odds, I’ve reached another birthday. I know many do not reach the age I have, so for this I am truly thankful. The past six years have been bruising for me, personally and professionally. But, I’m slowly learning in my own way how to…
Today, is five years to the day I got married to a man in Toronto, Canada. Two years ago though, it broke down. I’ve had enough time to come to terms with it and even though my marriage didn’t work out, I’m still a big advocate of marriage equality for all. On mainland Britain in the…
