Sce 1982, the Gay Officers Actn League has moved to bridge the divis between themselv and the people they’re sworn to protect.
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
* openly gay police officers *
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.
ASSIATN OF OPENLY GAY AND LBIAN POLICE OFFICERS INTO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT CULTURE
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.
“A GAY OFFICER CGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS”
“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.
COMG OUT AT WORK: WHAT 'S LIKE TO BE A GAY P NEW JERSEY
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. 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.