‘I was outed when I was mayor three decades ago — now I’m bringing Pride to my town’

KWhen Phil Webb, who served as mayor of Wimborne Minster more than three decades ago, came out as gay, he never thought he would see the day his town would celebrate Pride.

But the 67-year-old is ensuring Dorset’s 2026 Town of Culture, with a population of just 11,411, has its own Pride celebration this summer.

“Pride celebration means a lot to the LGBTQ+ community,” he said Independent. “Wimborne is a growing town and everyone I spoke to welcomed Wimborne Pride and said it was ‘time’ for the LGBTQ+ community to be recognized in the town, to bring it into the modern world.”

Mr. Webb’s mayoral bid became national news after it was made public in 1994. Bournemouth Echo By council members who thought it was inappropriate for the town to be run by a gay mayor.

“Two Wimborne councilors called Echo to tell us that one of his colleagues running for mayor, Philip Webb, is bisexual. They didn’t like it. “They planned to put an end to this, but they didn’t want to be quoted.”

at that time World News “Mr. Mayor Wants It Both Ways,” he declared. Independent described him as “the man who brought sex, drugs and rock’n’roll” to his town.

It was not easy for Mr Webb to have details about his sexuality published in the press. He had to tell this to his parents, who were with him from the beginning. His father wrote in the local newspaper that he did not accept his son’s “chosen lifestyle” but supported his right to become mayor.

Now he sees the funny side: “It was pretty hard, I mean, it was funny, but… World News ‘People came out in a strange way in a sleepy Dorset town when they learned their mayor was bisexual,’ the article said,” he joked.

The year it was expelled, there was slow progress on LGBTQ+ rights. The United Kingdom raised the age of consent for gay and bisexual men from 21 to 18 with the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. According to Mr. Webb, Wimborne Minster was still a little behind the times; but even then it was unusual to make such a fuss about someone being gay.

Yet it changed his life.

“People recognized me as the gay mayor and supported me 100 percent,” he said. “What I felt was a step back. It was taking one step back to take three steps forward because they were accusing me of being gay and I said yes I am gay. So LGBTQ+ rights came to the fore in Wimborne.”

Since his time as mayor, Mr Webb has had a long career working in children’s social care, although he is now retired. She met her long-time partner David in 1998 and they established a civil partnership. They were together for 22 years until David’s death five years ago.

Town crier and councilor Chris Brown asked Mr Webb to bring Pride to Wimborne earlier this year, apparently saying: “You’re the man to do it.”

It’s still in the early stages of planning, but £650 has been donated to start the Pride Movement. Mr Webb envisions a special Pride event in the local area rather than a large march in these early days.

But while bigger plans are still in the works, he has already arranged for the Pride Movement to attend a local event next month.

Mr Webb contacted Wimborne’s local community festival (12-14 June) to ask if a stand could be set up to raise awareness for the movement. Festival organizers said they would welcome the Pride Movement to join the event’s parade.

“Hopefully we’ll be dancing with them, with streamers, flags, stickers and music,” he said.

The Pride journey was not without controversy in the small town. Two men claiming to be from a local church attended the small consultation meeting and suggested that the inclusion of sexual or gender orientations in the folk festival dance parade might be inappropriate.

“It was great because it’s so important to include dissidents,” Mr. Webb said. “They have the right to put forward their views.

“It was very interesting that members of the group were able to counter their arguments politely and properly.

“There was a lady there. ‘I was in Wimborne with my son years ago and he was trans. I was walking in Wimborne and someone spat at us.’ They didn’t know such a thing existed. “They were not aware of the discrimination practiced by the LGBTQ+ community.”

He added: “That’s why we still need a Pride. Wimborne is a very tolerant town and always has been, and it’s very cultural. There’s really no room for hate in Wimborne, but there are still a small number of people who are anti and are prepared to say so. And it’s not the older, tougher people like me who are suffering. It’s the young people.”

Particularly concerned about transgender people, Mr. Webb hopes that by bringing Pride to his city, the LGBTQ+ community can come together and be accepted.

She added: “I hope that the LGBTQ+ community is out there, that they are visible, and that people accept them for who they are and stop discriminating against people for something they can’t really help with.”