Jaguars associate strength ach out as gay a first for US-based pro leagu

Contents:

• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• 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
• RANTZ: GAY PS RAIL AGAST SEATTLE PRI BAN AS GROUPS PH THEM ‘BACK CLOSET’
• GAY OFFICER’S ACTN LEAGUE

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

Michael Sam beme the first openly gay player to be drafted when the then-St. 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.

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

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. 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.

RANTZ: GAY PS RAIL AGAST SEATTLE PRI BAN AS GROUPS PH THEM ‘BACK CLOSET’

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.

GAY OFFICER’S ACTN LEAGUE

“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.

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.