Gay Officers Actn League | New York

Contents:

• LESBIAN AND GAY POLICE ASSOCIATION – GAY OFFICERS ACTION LEAGUE
• THE COPS STANDG WH, AND FOR, THE GAY COMMUNI THEY SERVE
• LBIAN & GAY PEACE OFFICER’S ASSOCIATN

LESBIAN AND GAY POLICE ASSOCIATION – GAY OFFICERS ACTION LEAGUE

The Lbian and Gay Police Associatn–Gay Officers Actn League (LGPA–GOAL) was found 1991 by four Chigo Police Officers: Mary Boyle, Dorothy Knudson, Sue Sasso, and Karen Conway, who felt that was time that lbian and gay police personnel had an anizatn of their own.

Known those days as the “Lbian and Gay Police Associatn” (LGPA), the group’s origal purpose was to provi support for gay and lbian police officers, who were mostly closeted at the time. Among s many achievements, the LGPA—as was known between s foundg and 2005—sought and won the right to wear the Chigo Police Department (CPD) uniform annual Pri Paras; earned the right to post LGBT related notic the police bullet; fought agast ter-partmental discrimatn toward LGBT officers; earned the support of the Fraternal Orr of Police (FOP) Lodge for their sponsorship of the Pri Para float; worked wh the FOP and Cy attorneys to clu sexual orientatn a CPD ntract non-discrimatn clse; participated heargs on domtic partner benefs before the Chigo Cy Council; and supported the effort to brg the 2006 Gay Gam to Chigo. The Gay Officers Actn League (GOAL) was brought to Illois om New York 1995.

In 2005, the origal LGPA merged wh GOAL; sce then the bed anizatn has been known as the Lbian and Gay Police Associatn–Gay Officers Actn League. Sce the merger, addn to assistg the ordatn and sign of LGBT Trag Vios orr to te and ensure that CPD members are sensive to the cy’s LGBT muni and LGBT officers’ ncerns, the group has, among other thgs: supported and promoted the 2008 Osr-wng short documentary film “Freeheld;” worked wh the 2006 Gay Gam and provid volunteer secury officers for the event; provid meetgs, social events, and fundraisers for s members, cludg the annual Halsted Market Days booth and Pri Para float, where members participate wearg partment uniforms; worked on acquirg pensn plans for same-sex partners and spo; promoted and sponsored numero chary events supportg fellow officers; and supported LGPA–GOAL members agast unjt or discrimatory actns enuntered wh the workplace or elsewhere. LGPA–GOAL is th extremely well-tablished and highly regard as an important muny anizatn and rource, and is th more than worthy of ductn to the Chigo Gay and Lbian Hall of Fame.

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

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. Gay police officers straddle two worlds: Outsi the force, they are sometim viewed wh spicn by their own kd. As part of the force, they’re navigatg the very stutn largely rponsible for the vlence that led to the morn gay rights movement.

LBIAN & GAY PEACE OFFICER’S ASSOCIATN

In fact, the gay rights movement was born out of a rt agast the police. In 1969, New York Cy officers raid the Stonewall Inn, a gay club Greenwich Village, sparkg vlent protts and clash that lasted six days. And back then, as now, the stggle between beg both a p and a gay activist wasn’t easily renciled.

“I’m very proud of beg a New York Cy policeman, and I’m equally proud of beg gay, ” he said to a stunned dience. “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. Hundreds of gay ps and their straight alli were standg as the natnal anthem played.