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

Contents:

• FIRST OPENLY GAY MAN TO LEAD A UK POLICE FORCE DON’T WANT TO BE AN ‘HISTORIC MOMENT’
• SERGEANT HARRY DALEY: ‘HONOUR MET’S FIRST GAY POLICEMAN WH BLUE PLAQUE,’ SAY MPAIGNERS
• AS A GAY OFFICER I SAW HOW HOMOPHOBIC THE POLICE ARE

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

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. “Are you gay?

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

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.

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.

AS A GAY OFFICER I SAW HOW HOMOPHOBIC THE POLICE ARE

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. 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. Prime Mister Rishi Sunak apologized Wednday for the treatment of gay veterans, sayg that a prev ban on LGBTQ+ people servg the U. ”The apology me after an pennt review published Wednday timated that hundreds, if not thoands, of veterans were dismissed or suffered unr an official ban on homosexualy the U.

“As today’s report mak clear, that perd many endured the most horrific sexual abe and vlence, homophobic bullyg and harassment, all while bravely servg this untry, " Sunak told Parliament. It documented the effects of what lled “an prehensible policy of homophobic bigotry our armed forc. Veterans' ttimoni “give shockg evince of a culture of homophobia, and of bullyg, blackmail and sexual asslts, abive vtigatns to sexual orientatn and sexual preference, disgraceful medil examatns, cludg nversn therapy, ” the report said.