Lincolnshire Police say…

February marks LGBT+ History Month which is something we celebrate both within Lincolnshire Police and with our local communities.

As part of Lincolnshire Police’s commitment to celebrating equality, diversity and inclusion we have chosen to light up our HQ building in Nettleham in rainbow lights.

The aim of LGBT+ History Month is to primarily educate the wider community about the history of the gay rights movement and to promote an inclusive modern society.

Chief Superintendent Kate Anderson said: “Here at Lincolnshire Police, we are proud to support LGBT+ History Month

“As a public service, we want to make sure that we are providing the best service to everyone living in Lincolnshire. LGBT+ History Month is a great opportunity to reflect on the incredible contributions to society from members of the LGBT+ Community, including serving officers, members of staff, and community champions and advocates.

“People might not know, but here in Lincolnshire, Skegness played a pivotal role in the campaign to end discrimination against lesbians, and in the fight for equal pay. In October 1971 a group of lesbians invaded the platform of the Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM) Conference in Skegness, demanding recognition.

“Lincolnshire Police is an inclusive place to work, with policies supporting adoption leave and for people who are transitioning. As a force there is a really positive commitment to continuing to do more to support members of our LGBT+ community living and working in Lincolnshire.

“For those in our communities who might ask why we support awareness raising campaigns, such as this one, I would simply say we recognise that for some crime types people might not feel confident to report to the police. I would say to those victims, that everyone has the right to live free from discrimination and hate, and that as the police we are here to listen to you and to help.

“We understand that some of our communities are the target of hate crime and we ask that anyone targeted by this to contact us on 101.”

For more information on Hate Crime or to report a crime, please follow this link: Hate crime (lincs.police.uk)