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Cornwall: Most homophobic place in the uk?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by British Lad, Aug 4, 2011.

  1. British Lad

    British Lad Guest

    I have heard that Cornwall is the most homophobic place in the UK and the Cornwall and Deven Police Are the most instatusionaly hmophobic in the UK. Am I right? or can somebody shead light on this.
     
  2. Just Passing

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    I've been to Cornwall several times and I've heard nothing about them being homophobic. I must admit, this is interesting and I'm curious too, so sorry for not being able to answer your question.
     
  3. laura267

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    Um... I have never heard that before. I have been to cornwall a few times and never heard anything homophobic. well... i was only about 7 so i guess i wouldn't have known !!!!
     
  4. Enaithor

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    I don't know Cornwall that well - I've been there a lot but only to visit family. I wouldn't think it was that homophobic, I would've thought that some of the country's ghettos would be worse - although not necessarily institutionally homophobic
     
  5. Just Adam

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    Well me and my friends went on holiday to Cornwall to Looe. Was a beautiful seaside town. We shall be going back.

    I didn't see any signs of homophobia or any bigotry at all. It seemed very pleasant.

    Though I know of a certain Cornish commedian and a fair few of his jokes are anti gay. I don't think it's homophobia in the modern hate sense.

    I think if there's homophobia I think its possibly more ignorant generational gap going back to working mens clubs.

    But please don't judge somewhere on what you hear from rumour till you have proof. I say do Internet searches and you may not know until you actually go there.
     
  6. HantsBen

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    Its all a load of bollocks mate, its just stats dredged up from nothing, probably no different to where you live!
     
  7. Elven

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    News to me, never heard anything particularly bad about it :slight_smile:
     
  8. cornishPasty

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    Im from Newquay in Cornwall and I can safely say throughout my whole life living here I havent seen any REAL homophobia. Ok sometimes people make little gay jokes, but thats it really. People are quite liberal down here, not so much the older generation though.

    But yea overall its pretty good down here :slight_smile: if people are homophobic at my school they get in LOADS of trouble :slight_smile:
     
  9. Harve

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    Yep, it's probably bollocks and unlikely to be any more or less friendly than the rest of the rural counties.
     
  10. DarkClarity

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    I haven't been to Cornwall myself, but I haven't heard anything about homophobia in Cornwall. The only thing I've heard about Cornwall is some of people that live there want independence from the rest of the UK. Nothing homophobic.
     
    #10 DarkClarity, Feb 11, 2012
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2012
  11. HereBeDragons

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    As an amateur LGBT historian for Cornwall, here's just a few examples from our archive:-

    #1. Sept 2005: Over x200 signatures were collected in a petition, primarily gathered from within the Cornwall LGBT community at the ‘Eclipse gay nightclub’, Truro. All 200+ signatures almost without exception expressing ‘NO FAITH’ in the Devon & Cornwall police complaints system. The LGBT petition provided to Ian Bynoe Commissioner of the Independent Police Complaints Commission…and promptly ignored. (Copy of the LGBT petition to IPCC held in the Sprocket Trust Cornwall LGBT history archive)

    #2 STOP & SEARCH Gay Youth
    Feb 2006: REDACTED was verbally abused by Cornwall police (abuser PC REDACTED of Helston & police colleague) when REDACTED went to give witness assistance to a gay youth being persecuted by police. The youth already a witness against police for other formal complaints to the IPCC of police homophobic conduct.

    The youth was detained by police in a Helston Methodist chapel at a coffee morning. He was subjected to a partial strip search, sworn at, and then forcibly taken by police to a retail outlet.

    Stop & Search form: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/381680137145989614/
    The shop staff positively identified the youth WAS NOT the person who had stolen an item. Police then failed to give a stop and search form & failed to apologize to the youth or his pensioner landlady, REDACTED. The reason police gave for targeting the gay youth was he had ‘Blue Hair’. This later denied by police, yet ‘blue hair’ stated by police as reason three times on ‘stop & search’ form eventually obtained from police having visited two police station & photo copy eventually obtained from police by post.

    It remains opinion of those involved in aiding the youth that police deliberately targeted the gay youth as he was a witness in formal IPCC complaint procedures against a number of other Cornwall police officers.

    NB: The person who was actually responsible for the theft (Mr O***s) later detained & prosecuted.
    Mr REDACTED tracked down Mr O***s, who in Aug 2007 apologized for the trouble ‘he’, Mr O***s caused to the gay youth being falsely accused & subsequently abused by police. There has never been an apology from Cornwall police arrogance for the abusive intimidation & treatment by PC REDACTED & the other police officer, neither to the innocent gay youth or his pensioner landlady.

    #3 HOMOPHOBIC ASSAULT
    May 2006: (Helston Flora Day) REDACTED along with another gay/bi male whilst attending Helston Flora Day funfair were violently assaulted at Castle Green carpark. The other gay/bi male victim was bottled over the head, and then violently kicked in the head, face chest & stomach by assailants. Lidbury shielded the prone victim with his body, preventing attempts by the multiple assailants to stamp on the victims head. The assault witnessed by numerous persons, many of whom were also gay.

    However when one victim reported to the police it was a ‘homophobic assault’, police told the victim to: quote “Shut up, be quiet, you don’t want to say that”. However REDACTED, who was the 2nd assault victim, knew as a gay equality campaigner this homophobic police attitude was entirely contrary to the 'True Vision' police policy on dealing with a homophobic incident & CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) policy on homophobic incidents.
    True Vision Policy: Homophobic and Transphobic Hate Crime - Report It - True Vision

    The three police officers attending the assault allowed the drunken assailants to leave the scene (police actually helped the assailants into a taxi). This was despite REDACTED having positively identified the assailants, to police. REDACTED drove the injured assault victim to West Cornwall hospital for stitches & x-ray. Directly due to hostile & prejudicial attitude of police attending the scene, none of the other several gay persons witness to the incident felt safe to come forward to homophobic Cornwall police.

    REDACTED went the following day to the local Helston police station to provide a statement. REDACTED was threatened by police if he (REDACTED) pursued making a complaint regarding the assault incident, they (police) would prosecute the other gay victim. A gay youth previously abused & targeted by police was amongst several witnesses who did not feel safe to come forward as a witness due to personal experiences of homophobic police in Cornwall.

    Cornwall police have ALWAYS refused to identify the police officers responsible for this abuse.

    The police intimidation regarding an alleged (false) allegation of a serious arrest able offence involving the other victim was most successful in intimidating him into not proceeding against the Helston police officers concerned. However REDACTED did proceed.
    Despite considerable obstruction from Devon & Cornwall police (Three police officers at Helston police station refused to take REDACTED complaint or statement of assault) Lidbury eventually won as victim a court case against one of the assailants for ‘common assault’. No thanks to obstructive attitude of Devon & Cornwall police.

    #4 ANOTHER HOMOPHOBIC ASSAULT
    24th August 2006: REDACTED assaulted Angel Hotel, Helston. The entire assault captured on CCTV. Once again none of the four other gay witnesses present felt confident in involving Cornwall’s well-known & renowned homophobic police force.

    REDACTED complaints of multiple police misconduct lead to two separate but unsatisfactory 'partial' investigations by Independent Police Complaints Commission 2004/2006. These resulted in numerous recommendations being made to Devon & Cornwall Constabulary of needed improvement of public service.

    REDACTED also raised with IPCC in initial interview his having reported being a child abuse victim in 2004, it was disregarded by the Independent Police Complaints Commission…and has repeatedly & continued to be ignored in subsequent communications to the IPCC up to 2015

    FACTS the IPCC DID establish regarding complaints made by a gay person in Cornwall, but NOTHING has been done about these incidents or the catalogue of other Cornwall police abuses highlighted:

    1. A Cornwall police officer lied about a (non-existent) signature in a pocket book. Abuser in the company of PC REDACTED (Camborne) IPCC established
    2. Police failed to provide (withheld) legal court documentation. Abuse by PC REDACTED of Camborne IPCC established
    3. Police failed to return a computer after it had been cleared by police forensics (police kept it for weeks in a lock up garage or similar) abuse by DC REDACTED IPCC established
    4. Police did make un-logged (not recorded by police) visits to the family home (these were most intimidating to REDACTED elderly mother) abuse by PC REDACTED & another, also DC REDACTED & DS REDACTED IPCC established
    5. Kept a gay person on a computer as a suspect AFTER the case had been NFA'd (no further action) abuse by DC REDACTED IPCC established
    6. Failed to provide food for over 7 hours whilst a suspect was in custody. Abuse by Camborne custody officers IPCC established
    7. Failed to inform a gay suspect weeks after a case had been finalized that there was no further action. Abuse by DC REDACTED again IPCC established
    8. there was no means to follow received mail into Exeter Middlemore police HQ within the internal system of the police headquarters, therefore no quality control by police on delivery of service IPCC established

    However the IPCC despite above findings of police abuse admit in their initial report they did not interview fourteen further witnesses regarding a catalogue of other complaints made!

    #5 Complaints regarding Cornwall police conduct the IPCC choose NOT to investigate. These still remain buried to the utter frustration and angst of the gay victims of Cornwall police continuing homophobic abuses:-

    1. Failure of ‘Duty of Care’ to a homeless 15yr old teenage gay youth (UNIVESTIGATED) abuse by PC REDACTED & PC REDACTED of Helston
    2. Attempted blackmail of a teenage gay youth (UNINVESTIGATED) abuse by DC REDACTED of Camborne
    3. Abuse of a gay teenager in a strip search & botched ‘Stop & Search’ (UNIVESTIGATED) abuse by PC REDACTED & another police officer
    4. Seizing of a computer leading to destruction of a gay businesses (UNIVESTIGATED) abuse DC REDACTED & senior officers
    5. Failure to follow ‘TRUE VISION’ & CPS definition of ‘Homophobic Incident’ following serious physical assault of two gay/bi persons (UNIVESTIGATED) abuse by Three Helston Police Officers
    6. Refusal to take statements from Gay/Bi witnesses (UNIVESTIGATED) abuse by Sgt. REDACTED of Helston
    7. Perjury by a police officer in Crown Court (UNINVESTIGATED) abuse by DC REDACTED of Camborne
    8. Further un-logged visits by police officers to further intimidate complaint-ents against the police (UNIVESTIGATED) abuse by DC REDACTED & DS REDACTED
    9. Refusal of a police Sgt. to take a witness statement from an adult gay eyewitness (a founding member of Cornwall's lesbian women's publication OUTBACK was witness to this police refusal) (UNINVESTIGATED) abuse by Sgt REDACTED of Helston
    10. Only an 'out' gay person was arrested out of a group of people equally taking part in lawful activity (No charges were made against the gay person. (UNINVESTIGATED) abuse by DC REDACTED who also ignored text messages from the false accuser ADMITTING it was a false allegation against the gay man & failed to return lawful belongings seized by police

    Merely the tip of the corrupt, dishonest & homophobic attitudes & practices still to this day common place within the Cornwall police force. Members of the REDACTED household continued to be relentlessly targeted & intimidated by Cornwall police.

    Despite REDACTED reporting to Cornwall police:-

    . Attempted blackmail/extortion

    . Theft & Criminal damage from the property

    . Multiple Vehicle Criminal damage

    . Threats of physical assault & violence

    . Intimidation & threats of arrest made by police against REDACTED pensioner mother

    Cornwall police DID & DO NOTHING due to involvement & role of their own police officers in instigating these offences & crimes against members of the REDACTED household

    The appointment of three new diversity police officers to the Cornwall police force was an immediate effect of REDACTED complaints made against the Cornwall police 2004/06 & the IPCC partially investigated catalogue of incidents. It was a futile gesture.

    #6 In 2005 REDACTED had also raised concern with Devon & Cornwall police regarding class ‘A’ drugs being provided to one of his student employees by a gay man in Penzance. REDACTED had also raised his concerns with the student’s college liaison. Devon & Cornwall police were disinterested. The college & REDACTED agreed to enable the student to finish his qualification course then REDACTED former student employee left the employ of REDACTED

    The same former student employee was later arrested following suspicious death of a gay man who had supplied the youth with class ‘A’ drugs & with whom the former student employee was then living with in Penzance.

    I could post a lot more involving gay suicides & several attempted suicides of various gay persons following contact with Devon & Cornwall police from our records. Also around Cornwall police attitudes towards persons living with HIV = Hostile & also malice towards gay persons NOT living with HIV.

    Of course Devon & Cornwall police also hit the gay media back in the 1990's for targeting gay/bi men by using 'against' Home Office guidelines 'pretty-boy police officers in entrapment stings.

    Has it got better?...smoke & mirrors, lip service
     
  12. LaEsmeralda

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    I lived in Devon for a little over a year. I have to say, I witnessed far more racism and xenophobia than I did homophobia. I'm not too surprised about what you've heard about Cornwall. I'm sure most of it is fine, but when I went there to visit the cliffs, everything there looked like it was stuck 30 years in the past. Devon and Cornwall are quite cut off from the rest of England and I got the impression that they are living a little behind the times.
     
  13. GayJay

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    I stayed there for a couple of months with my girlfriend at the time. (before being out as trans so it was assumed we were two lesbians)
    I experienceed no homophobia and would see a lot of gay couples walking around together in Newquay town.
    Haven't been there long enough to give the most valid opinion and homophobes tend to react better to gay women than men but I reckon it's probably bollocks

    As for all those facts and figures I wouldnt say those few incidents around 10 years ago give a true representative of Cornwall today. Things have changed a lot in the past 10 years in most places of the UK.

    The worst place I've experienced for it was Preston, if anyone knows there.