As a gay officer I saw how homophobic the police are | Kev Maxwell | The Guardian

Contents:

• SERGEANT HARRY DALEY: ‘HONOUR MET’S FIRST GAY POLICEMAN WH BLUE PLAQUE,’ SAY MPAIGNERS
• SERGEANT HARRY DALEY: ‘HONOUR MET’S FIRST GAY POLICEMAN WH BLUE PLAQUE,’ SAY MPAIGNERS
• FIRST OPENLY GAY MAN TO LEAD A UK POLICE FORCE DON’T WANT TO BE AN ‘HISTORIC MOMENT’
• AS A GAY OFFICER I SAW HOW HOMOPHOBIC THE POLICE ARE
• GAY POLICE ASSOCIATN
• NUMBERS OF OPENLY GAY POLICE OFFICERS ‘VARY SIGNIFINTLY' ACROSS THE UNTRY
• MET POLICE’S FORMERLY MOST SENR GAY OFFICER WAS TOLD TO ‘ACT LIKE A STRAIGHT WHE MAN’

SERGEANT HARRY DALEY: ‘HONOUR MET’S FIRST GAY POLICEMAN WH BLUE PLAQUE,’ SAY MPAIGNERS

Campaigners want Bra’s first openly gay policeman to be honoured after beg told he was “not famo enough” for a historic blue plaque. Sergeant Harry Daley, said to be spiratn for TV seri Dixon of Dock Green, was “wildly discreet” even though homosexualy was illegal at the joed the Metropolan Police 1925 and worked Hammersmh, Wtmster and Wandsworth for 25 Daley was the lover of celebrated thor E.

SERGEANT HARRY DALEY: ‘HONOUR MET’S FIRST GAY POLICEMAN WH BLUE PLAQUE,’ SAY MPAIGNERS

Colleagu ma a distctn between his sexualy and men they harassed and arrted for Daley died 1971 the former fay home Dorkg he shared his brother David, who was also gay, and David’s long-term partner John. Sergeant Harry Daley pated by Dunn Grant 1930 / Dunn Grant Sgt Daley’s name nnot be re-nomated until 2027, when another panel would reasss his Stephen Bourne’s 2017 book Fightg Proud: The Untold Story Of The Gay Men Who Served In Two World Wars featur a chapter on Sgt has gaed renew promence durg LGBTQ+ History month and programm like Channel 4’s acclaimed drama It’s A S about the Aids Bourne said: “Harry Daley was greatly loved the muni he served.

“In the days when gay officers had to nceal their sexualy, Harry was an exceptn. There has always been an tert gay history but now wh It’s A S, we’ve gone mastream.

His fisherman father died at sea 1911 and olr brother Joseph was killed actn jt a few days before the end of World War wasn’t until 1967, that male homosexualy was crimalised. “From one gay skipper to another, I salute you Harry.

FIRST OPENLY GAY MAN TO LEAD A UK POLICE FORCE DON’T WANT TO BE AN ‘HISTORIC MOMENT’

“Whilst Harry Daley was the first openly gay officer to serve the Met that we are currently aware of, his historil profile and signifince was not strong enough to persua the panel on this ocsn.

Adrian Hanstock, QPM has been named the first out gay man to lead a UK police force, servg as temporary chief nstable of Brish Transport Police.

AS A GAY OFFICER I SAW HOW HOMOPHOBIC THE POLICE ARE

“Are you gay?

GAY POLICE ASSOCIATN

Unsurprisgly, views on homosexualy and attus towards gay men particular were hostile and spic. The thought of a gay man beg a police officer was nsired an herent risk to the very tegry of policg self. As was mon practice wh the ary and most public bodi at that time, “posive vettg” was ed as a means to intify and prevent gay people jog or progrsg those anisatns.

Homosexualy remaed an absolute bar to jog the police service and vettg checks beme more and more tsive as people rose senry. The rhetoric that unrpned this approach tend to argue that gay men would go to great lengths to avoid beg outed and would be more vulnerable to blackmail, therefore a cril secury risk.

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

One proment chief nstable of the time proclaimed that “…homosexuals, dg addicts and prostut are swirlg a human csp of their own makg” and th one sweepg statement ptured the wir societal opn of the ’80s. Alongsi the dividual achievements, we mt also acknowledge the monumental chang to natnal attus brokered by the former Lbian and Gay Police Associatn (LAGPA) as well as those forc that set an important early precent by endorsg their officers’ participatn annual Pri events, spe cricism. We rema bted to those trailblazers that helped remove the actual and psychologil barriers that implied gay people were eher unsuable for general policg, were not be tsted to unrtake specialist rol and uldn’t display the quali or valu necsary to lead others.

MET POLICE’S FORMERLY MOST SENR GAY OFFICER WAS TOLD TO ‘ACT LIKE A STRAIGHT WHE MAN’

So, is the appotment of a gay man to rry out the functns of chief nstable another te first for policg? What is still clear however, is that there are still 73 jurisdictns the world that crimalise private, nsensual, same-sex activy and the UK, crim motivated by unjtifiable homophobia, enpassg all typ of offenc om verbal abe and harassment, through to pre-medated asslt and even murr, are still prevalent.

Adapted om Bethan Roberts’ h 2012 novel of the same name, the ptivatg perd romance explor Tom’s plex relatnship wh wife Marn (Emma Corr) and lover Patrick (David Dawson) agast a backdrop of stutnal prejudice an era where homosexualy remaed illegal all four rners of the UK.

It wasn’t until I moved to England and while I was there I actually met LGBT police officers, I met gay guys, who were ps. We have to be agast racism, we have to be agast homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.