Gay Officers Actn Leage (GOAL) | New York

Contents:

• THE COPS STANDG WH, AND FOR, THE GAY COMMUNI THEY SERVE
• COMG OUT AT WORK: WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE A GAY P NEW JERSEY
• PRI SAID GAY COPS AREN’T WELE. THEN CAME THE BACKLASH.
• GAY MOSW · CY GUI
• POLICE ARRT 30 AT GAY PRI RALLY MOSW
• MOSW RT POLICE VLENTLY BREAK UP GAY PRI RALLY
• PHOTOGRAPHER FI RSIA’S HATEFUL “PROPAGANDA” LAW WH PORTRAS OF GAY UNTRYMEN

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

Reports n be found across the Uned Stat of police allegedly g excsive force agast lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer people. 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.

Texas that gay sex was crimalized throughout the untry. 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 bans have been divisive, even wh the LGBTQ muny — and particularly among openly gay police officers.

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

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.

“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. “Across the board systemic racism and homophobia is play wh policg, so go beyond trag and budget.

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.

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

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. 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 MOSW · CY GUI

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. Asi om homophobic rants, one opn that I have noticed ga some populary is that Pri and LGBT groups are not only unnecsary, but serve to further divi the gay muny om everyone else.

This is ually upled wh an opn along the l of “No one r if you’re gay, ’s not a big al any more”. Some have taken a step further and lled for a separate “Straight Pri” the name of total assumptn that all is well for the gay muny was seemgly supported by a vio of me proposg to my partner durg London Pri last year.

POLICE ARRT 30 AT GAY PRI RALLY MOSW

One person said, all serns, “another gay tryg to get famo like their hero BRUCE JENNER”.

MOSW RT POLICE VLENTLY BREAK UP GAY PRI RALLY

In hdsight, I was lettg other people’s opns dictate my was by no means my first experience of homophobia. I was raised a hoehold which was stnchly anti-gay.

PHOTOGRAPHER FI RSIA’S HATEFUL “PROPAGANDA” LAW WH PORTRAS OF GAY UNTRYMEN

On my 18th birthday, I went out wh my “secret boyiend” and was the victim of a btal homophobic attack which I was dragged down a narrow alleyway by three men and severely beaten whout a chance of fendg myself. I am lucky to live a time when I n jo the police service as an openly gay man – and I have prev generatns to thank for that.

This is an unwele shift for people who do not tolerate the gay muny. It n also create placency among LGBT supporters while simultaneoly galvanisg those who would want to do gay people harm, makg our progrs overt and ntuo support om people outsi our muny is val to protectg our rights om an angry backlash by people who nsir themselv to be the shunned “silent majory”. And if risg statistics of vlent crime, the torture of gay men Chechnya or the physil bullyg of children has not swayed someone that Pri is as sential as ever, then this short opn piece certaly won’t.