LEICESTERSHIRE Police’s headquarters are being lit up in the bi and trans colours this week to mark LGBT+ history month, and to show their support and dedication to the cause.
On Tuesday (February 1), the police headquarters at Enderby were lit up to mark the first day of LGBTQ history month, which serves as an observation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history.
The building is being lit up every day this week to show its support for the annual event, as well as its dedication to promoting equality, both within Leicestershire Police and the local community.
Explaining Leicestershire Police’s commitment to the cause and the importance of its LGBT+ network, James Yeoman, co chair of Leicestershire Police’s LGBT+ network, said: “Having an LGBT+ network within Leicestershire Police is crucial for our overall workforce.”
“As a network we have many functions, but one of the main functions is that we are able to provide a voice for all our LGBT+ colleagues and to assist in making any positive changes that are needed across the organisation.
“We also play a part in building relationships with our LGBT+ communities outside of the police, so it is important for us to be involved in events like Pride, so we are out there with our communities,” he added.
“All of the work that we do is voluntary and largely in our own time, but we do it because we all have a passion for this work.”
As well as lighting up the headquarters, the Force are set to fly the rainbow, bi and trans flags throughout February.
A personal profile/account on one of Leicestershire Police’s LGBT+ officers will also be shared during the month, and two short films will be produced, centring around LGBT+ history in policing and pronouns and ‘dead-naming’.
“The network will actively take part in key events throughout the LGBT+ calendar, some of which are LGBT+ History Month, Pride and individual days of visibility throughout the year,” explained Mr Yeoman.
“We provide support and guidance to investigation and training departments throughout the force, as well as developing LGBT+ allies that work across all our stations, in all departments who are seen as the ‘go to’ person locally to our officers for support.”
To find out more about LGBT+ history month, visit: https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/
