UK: Gloucestershire police chief comes out during Pride event
Gloucestershire’s Chief Constable publicly came out at a Pride event this week, to loud cheers from the crowd.
According to the Gloucestershire Citizen, police chief Suzette Davenport made the announcement on stage, following the Pride parade.
Davenport, who was appointed Chief Constable last year, said: “It is not tattooed on my forehead but I don’t hide it either.
“I could have stood up and talked about facts and figures but people would have switched off. Instead I thought it would be better to talk about something more personal to me.
“The police have made significant progress on these issues and we are much better than some public sector organisations but there is still some room to improve.
“We have low levels of hate crime in Gloucestershire too. They are significantly below the national average.
“But I want people to understand hate crime. I know what it feels like having been through it myself.”
She was loudly cheered by the crowd following the announcement.
Andy Harley, who sits on the Gloucestershire Pride committee, said: “We got to the park and she came out on stage. We never expected that. It was incredibly brave for someone in her position.
“She must be the only chief constable in the country to come out like that. She told people that she didn’t want to keep it to herself anymore.”
Chris Marsh, manager of gay bar The Westgate, said: “People were really impressed with her coming out on stage. It’s not everyday that something like that happens.”
