Over my dead body
1996
Bill Gavan discusses Digbeth Police Station's attitude to the first Birmingham Pride event, “So I was elected to approach Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police, and went to the Chief Constable at the time and he said ‘There’s no problem with Pride so long as it’s a celebration and procession, not a demonstration’. He gave me a small hand written note to take to the local police station, and the local desk sergeant at Digbeth said ‘Over my dead body’ – so I showed him the note, and that was basically the start of the Police Liaison situation. So I went to Birmingham City Council, and that was much easier, I told him that it would be privately funded, self-supporting, and they welcomed us with open arms, but I believe to this day that it was because I didn’t ask for any money."
Contributed by: Bill Gavan, 56