Gay ps NJ talk about what was like to e out at work

Contents:

• I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
• WOMAN BE FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL
• COMG OUT AT WORK: WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE A GAY P NEW JERSEY
• THE COPS STANDG WH, AND FOR, THE GAY COMMUNI THEY SERVE
• NUMBERS OF OPENLY GAY POLICE OFFICERS ‘VARY SIGNIFINTLY' ACROSS THE UNTRY
• GAY MUNICH
• GAY WT POT GRAD ARRTED IN WHE HOE PROTT

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

But as a gay man, I have been fightg my whole life to enjoy the very privileg I am entled to as both a beholr and protector of them.

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. |Woman Be First Openly Gay General ADVERTISEMENTWoman Be First Openly Gay GeneralAug. 12, 2012WASHINGTON — An Army officer beg promoted to brigadier general openly acknowledged her homosexualy on Friday by havg her wife p her star to her uniform, th beg the first openly gay officer of flag rank the Uned Stat officer, Brig.

The star was affixed by Tracey Hepner, who was a -founr last year of the Milary Partners and Fai Coaln, which “provis support, rourc, tn and advocy for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr ary partners and their fai, ” acrdg to s Web uple married March 2012 the District of ary dropped s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gay service members on Sept. ”ImageSue Fulton, a spokwoman for OutServe, a two-year-old anizatn of lbians and gay men the ary, said Sunday that was “highly unlikely” that General Smh was the only gay officer of her rank. She lled the promotn ceremony which General Smh acknowledged beg gay part of the bt Army tradn.

WOMAN BE FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL

Smh, the first openly gay ary officer of flag rank, misstated the year she and her partner were married. It was this year, March — not we handle rrectnsA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 8 of the New York edn wh the headle: Woman Be First Openly Gay General. 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.

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

“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.

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.

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

“It’s part of the tnal program bee people might not nsir themselv homophobic or racist, but have unrlyg patterns that are, ” Tracy said. 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.

NUMBERS OF OPENLY GAY POLICE OFFICERS ‘VARY SIGNIFINTLY' ACROSS THE UNTRY

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.

GAY MUNICH

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.

GAY WT POT GRAD ARRTED IN WHE HOE PROTT

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.

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.