A few months ago I had a meeting with two BBC producers about a new television series called Queer Britain. I was invited to the meeting after various communication to talk about intersectionality, like being both black and gay. I initially thought the series was going to be truly diverse, but left the chat somewhat puzzled. The producers contacted me to…
On Monday, I was on a panel at the Royal Society of Arts about racism within the LGBT+ community. The other speakers and I were given the opportunity to talk freely, before taking part in a Q&A session. I didn’t want to waffle so cut straight to answering the four questions provided to the panelists and audience…
I shared an article the other day by an Arab man who said that many like him were glad that Trump had won the US presidency. It’s important to share different voices, even if I don’t agree with them. I then received a message which said, “Sometimes Mr Maxwell you sound a bit racist yourself.”…
Remembering those who fought fascism, and the impact of racism in the UK following Brexit It’s that time of year when we’re supposed to remember those who have sacrificed their life for their country, and that time of year when all those who haven’t, have an opinion on the wearing of poppies. Every year like…
Like most people, I felt wretched last year when I saw The Independent’s front page of Alan Kurdi, the three-year old Syrian boy lying face down in the sand after drowning in the Mediterranean sea – his family trying to get to Europe, from war-torn Syria. Then came the disappointing rhetoric of my government, but like most…
Last Friday, I decided to take a break from social media. That was until Tuesday gone, when I learned that Sky News had published a short film I had done with the channel about racism in the UK. Over the years, I’ve learnt that many deny racism exists in Britain. To live in such a…
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…
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…
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…
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 was in the supermarket earlier, when two police officers entered. I saw them clock eyes with a black guy and although they said nothing to him, I could see the hatred in his eyes towards them. So much so, that it made me uncomfortable. Which, led me to this blog. Why is it that there is…
Today, America celebrates Martin Luther King day. The life of a great man, who led one of the struggles for racial equality in the last century. In Britain we don’t have someone to compare, so like many I too pause for thought about him on this day. What’s changed since Dr King’s greatest speech, and…
I saw this image by the cartoonist Matt Davies earlier, and it really struck me as being poignant. Having served as a police officer myself for some 11 years in Britain’s two biggest police forces, it is sad that the majority of good cops do not stand up to the bad cops which allows corruption and the…
I was talking with a black woman earlier, and we happened to get on to the subject of race – something close to my skin, literally. She said that a lot of mixed-race people only identified as black, when they had experienced racism. I thought, how true. Prior to my own challenges against racism within the…
For those of you who have followed my story, you will know that for the past five years I have fought racism, homophobia and corruption within London’s Metropolitan Police. I’ve been through three trials, and things are far from over. During this Black History Month in the UK, I’ve had time to reflect. For over…
On my recent visit back home Up North, I was genuinely surprised about how many “Pound” shops there was. This isn’t just a Liverpool thing, but one which is replicated all-over this small island. We’ve got everything from Poundstretcher to Poundland to Poundworld and even 1p off shops with the 99p Stores, at a time when the…