Intercom Trust, Eddystone Project & Cornwall Police... 'Gay Cruising'

The Intercom Trust, Plymouth Eddystone HIV/AIDS's project & Devon / Cornwall Police are holding a.... Gay 'Safer Cruising'? evening at Bar Qdos in Truro.

There is something very strange in that Intercom (who have so badly let down some gay people abused by Police in Cornwall in recent years)...and Intercom seem to be causing great dissatisfaction with former long standing members of the Plymouth PRIDE forum. However Intercom & Eddystone have gotten together with the Cornwall police (Remember Cornwall police, who have repeatedly violated & victimised some gay peoples lives ) are now to target 'Men who have sex with men', by giving 'Crusing lessons'?

(a) It was only very recently Cornwall police were staking out sand dunes on the North Cornwall coast in a crack down on Naturists and cruisers at Portreath isolated sand dunes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4777309.stm

(b) Then there was a recent commentary on 'Gaybod' website of a Cornish man who stopping in a lay-by near Falmouth, was verbally interrogated as to his purpose of stopping there by a Cornwall police officer. The police are all over the 'Gaybod' crusing website like a syphalitic rash and critiscism of policing hostilities encountered by gay people are banned from the site,... hmmm.

So NOW Intercom Trust & Cornwall police want to meet in person, gay/bi men in Cornwall, to give 'Safer Cruising Lessons'?

It was bad enough that Cornwall police are alleged to have taken photographs of every single person, man & woman, who attended last years successful 2007 Gay PRIDE Beach day at Hayle, in Cornwall. No doubt for 'Safer PRIDE events'?

Yeah, Right!

But now Intercom, Eddy & Police want to invite gay/bi men to attend lessons on safer cruising when the most likely person to cause a gay/bi person harrasement whilst cruising (or NOT) is still very much in my experience, observation & knowledge...STILL a Cornwall police officer!

(c) I still remember a letter I recieved when I was editor of the local LGBT newsletter for Cornwall. It was from an outraged STR8 holiday maker in Cornwall, who whilst sitting alone on the edge of sand dunes (watching his two daughters & his wife paddling in the sea)..recieved a verbal caution and was told to move on by a Cornwall police officer patroling the sanddunes for lone male sunbathers. The tourist had never known or had cause to be aware of homophobia before, his negative experience of Cornwall policing whilst he was on holiday, galvenised him, a STR8 man to write a letter of support to our gay publication. That was then.

(d) ..and who could forget the Cornwall police entrapment of twenty men at Treluswell. This led to the public printing in local Cornish newspapers of the names, addresses & even places of employment of the men subsequently entraped by Cornwall police, allegedly for 'CRUISING'. Cornwall Police had used 'Pretty Boy' police officers in entrapment techniques which the HOME OFFICE itself had condemened years before. To my knowledge at least one of the men attempted suicide. Even Mathew Taylor Lib Dem Mp condemned the Cornwall police at the time in a front page article in the LGBT National Pink Paper newspaper.

Very little has changed in my opinion & experience of Cornwall police 'HOSTILE' attitude & practises towards Gay Persons in 2008!!

So Here's a 'Safer Crusing Tip'

Avoid ANYTHING remotely connected with ones personal sexuality and involvement with a Cornwall police force KNOWN to be deeply HOMOPHOBIC! still in 2008!

NB:- The successful 2007 Cornwall Gay PRIDE Beach Day steering group, which consisted of Gay Men, Gay Women & Gay Youth, dissbanded directly due to continuing Cornwall police prejudicial attitudes & practises in 2007 into 2008.

It is as a DIRECT Result of Cornwall Police Anti-Gay ATTITUDES & PRACTISES there are NO Plans for a Cornwall Gay PRIDE Beach Day this year in 2008.

Cornwall Police, as a gay man, I don't trust or have faith in them at ALL. (For TWENTY TWO good reasons given by the Independent Police Complaints Commission in 2006 & the catalogue of other abuses & violations carried out by Cornwall police towards gay persons in Cornwall never investigated)

However, for those who want to know:-

'Safer Cruising'

Bar Qdos

Thursday 6th March 2008, 7pm