I'm a Gay Army Officer—Queer Troops Mt Fight Back

Contents:

• I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
• THE COPS STANDG WH, AND FOR, THE GAY COMMUNI THEY SERVE
• ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS
• COMG OUT AT WORK: WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE A GAY P NEW JERSEY
• “A GAY OFFICER CGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS”
• PRI SAID GAY COPS AREN’T WELE. THEN CAME THE BACKLASH.
• GAY OFFICERS ACTN LEAGUE PRINT OPPOS PRI'S UNIFORMED LAW ENFORCEMENT BAN

I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK

I was one of few soldiers who joed the service before graduatg high school, but the admistratn at the time, which I believe was homophobic, chose to act as if I never existed bee of my queer hate that I experienced growg up on Long Island was my first enunter wh how others would treat me as a queer soldier.

The multiday prott — wily nsired a pivotal turng pot the morn gay rights movement — was triggered by a police raid on the popular Stonewall Inn gay bar. History, police officers were bound to enforce explicly anti-gay laws — om lol measur outlawg men om “impersonatg a female” to the wispread crimalizatn of same-sex sexual activy. She poted to a study published by the Williams Instute May that found lbian, gay, bisexual and queer people are six tim more likely than the general public to be stopped by police (data about transgenr dividuals were not available the datasets analyzed).

THE COPS STANDG WH, AND FOR, THE GAY COMMUNI THEY SERVE

Prr to the start of this trag, negative attus about the LGBTQ muny were reportedly pervasive wh the partment: In 1996, durg a retrag of veteran officers, a word associatn exercise asked for rpons to the word “gays. Gtavo Alvarez, a gay rint of Palo Alto, California, settled his lawsu agast s police partment after accg of vlatg his civil rights, rultg a settlement that clud a $572, 500 payout and a one-off two hours of mandatory LGBTQ-awarens trag for all police officers the partment.

ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS

“There was no secret that he was gay, and the officers fely ed that as a way to mean him their prr ntacts wh him and also durg this ntact. In New York Cy — where LGBTQ trag is provid by the Gay Officers Actn League (GOAL) for both new recs and veteran officers — Cummgs wants the police missner to be a civilian and lgs om the Civilian Complat Review Board, the NYPD’s oversight agency, be bdg.

But as the print of the force’s only LGBTQ aternal anizatn — the Gay Officers Actn League, or GOAL — his other role is to serve and support his brothers and sisters drsed blue … and rabows.

In 1969, New York Cy officers raid the Stonewall Inn, a gay club Greenwich Village, sparkg vlent protts and clash that lasted six days.

COMG OUT AT WORK: WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE A GAY P NEW JERSEY

“It’s an ongog procs, y, but ’s important for the [gay muny] — which has this mentaly based on history that you n’t be both gay and a police officer — to see that there are gay ps out there. Before he joed the force 17 years ago, Locke was a social worker and director at the Gay and Lbian Anti-Vlence Project, where he vtigated s of police vlence agast the gay muny. On June 12, a few weeks before this year’s Pri Para, Downey stood at the ont of an dorium New York’s police headquarters for an annual event to honor the cy’s gay officers.

Even as recently as a few years ago, GOAL wasn’t allowed to hold Pri Month events, like the one this month to regnize their gay lleagu, at police headquarters. Jam Tracy of the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, police partment, the abily to be openly gay while the police force is important to make those meangful chang.

Tammy Smh, the ary’s hight-rankg openly gay officer, me out 2012, she has tried beg an example of livg thentilly while also beg a bean of visibily to other Soldiers and their fai. As difficult as was for her, g out publicly as gay “may not have been as easy for someone who was at a lower rank, ” Smh said an terview last week. Behalf of all the members of the Gay Officers Actn League of New York, we thank everyone who has reached out over the last few Members and Friends, Sce Herage of Pri announced s cisn to ban GOAL om participatg Pri, we've been Journey 35 Years of GOALThe New York Cy Police Department (NYPD) has e a long way and we are proud to be a part of the posive chang.

“A GAY OFFICER CGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS”

Jam Tracy me out as gay to his police joed the Englewood Cliffs police partment 2002, but 10 years passed before he revealed his secret. “I was gettg lls om gay police officers all over the untry sayg thgs like ‘Hey, thanks for the publicy and gettg out there', ” he said. ”It's not always easy to be a p who is gay, but each step forward helps pave the way for a better future work environment, Tracy ntu below galleryWell before Tracy ever put on the police uniform, Wtwood police Officer Larry Schwartz helped pave the way for gay officers.

PRI SAID GAY COPS AREN’T WELE. THEN CAME THE BACKLASH.

Schwartz remends other gay ps get volved and take the time to fd peers and seek help if there are road for officers who e out as gay to lleagu has not always been smooth. “It’s part of the tnal program bee people might not nsir themselv homophobic or racist, but have unrlyg patterns that are, ” Tracy said.

The Gay Officers Actn League (GOAL) was formed 1982 New York to addrs the needs, issu, and ncerns of gay and lbian law enforcement personnel. Out To Protect is an anizatn that was created to spread awarens of the gay, lbian, bisexual, and transgenr profsnals currently workg law enforcement, out or not.

Philly, the first LGBT liaison for the sheriff’s office Philalphia, and the only openly gay sheriff Philalphia, who go above and beyond the ll of duty to ensure trag is beg done to make better for the LGBT muny Philalphia wh their teractns wh Law Enforcement. I’ve never agreed wh the ncept of g out, I always said well if straight people don’t have to e out and say hey I’m straight why do I need to e out and say hey I’m gay… why n’t I live my life as eely as my straight unterparts. “Comg Out From Behd The Badge is a llectn of books about g out as lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr while workg law enforcement, the fire service, and EMS profsn.

GAY OFFICERS ACTN LEAGUE PRINT OPPOS PRI'S UNIFORMED LAW ENFORCEMENT BAN

Instead he cid to share his story and create rourc for other LGBT officers and cid to beg workg wh law enforcement profsnals who still stggle wh the homophobia that still exists policg.

Law enforcement personnel who are gay, lbian, or bisexual have to have another kd of urage to be succsful a largely nservative and often tim homophobic profsn. ” But even law enforcement officers need good role mols to be succsful and this is particularly important for current or aspirg law enforcement officers who happen to be gay, lbian, or bisexual.

Law enforcement as a whole needs strong gay, lbian, and bisexual personnel to be out at work orr to rrect the misrmatn, misperceptns, and fns of what means have a sexual orientatn other than heterosexual. The police service has e a long way, as did society, but obvly there is more to be done if officers are still not nfint g out and still fear that homophobia still exists wh the ranks. This anizatn and the rourc provid pav the way for more officers to be open about their sexualy which turn will no longer be unual or unmon to have an openly gay senr police officer or high-rankg boss.