Gay Officers Actn Leage (GOAL) | New York

Contents:

• THE COPS STANDG WH, AND FOR, THE GAY COMMUNI THEY SERVE
• ASSIATN OF OPENLY GAY AND LBIAN POLICE OFFICERS INTO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT CULTURE
• “A GAY OFFICER CGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS”
• 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

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.

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.

ASSIATN OF OPENLY GAY AND LBIAN POLICE OFFICERS INTO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT CULTURE

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.

“A GAY OFFICER CGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS”

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. The Gay Officers Actn League (GOAL), is a first-of-s-kd anizatn that was formed 1982 to addrs the needs, issu, and ncerns of gay and lbian law enforcement personnel and has sce expand to a nonprof tax-exempt civil rights anizatn.

(Augt 5, 1943–May 5, 2008) a sergeant of the New York Cy Police Department, who after liverg a public ttimony on anti-gay discrimatn legislatn pendg before the New York Cy Council, beme the first openly gay officer of the NYPD. While the Gay Officers Actn League is a posive force wh the LGBTQ muny, is also stmental attemptg to change homophobic attus the workplace and the muny at large. The study clud a strategic plan to sign and implement a gay and lbian cultural diversy program for a lol law enforcement agency.

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

The program nsisted of four elements: a liaison officer wh the gay and lbian muny, a gay and lbian muny advisory group, a cultural diversy trag/tn program for police officers that is tght by gay and lbian muny members and officers, and a recment program that targets gays and lbians. This is what is like to be a closeted gay, lbian, bisexual, or transgenr member of law enforcement.