Imagine finally figuring out who you were and working in a job you always dreamed of having, sounds great right? Now, this career that you always wanted excites and fulfills you in every way, you’re highly successful, and admired by your peers. Little do your coworkers know, you have a secret, and you’re always fearful that if anyone you work with discovered this secret, it could all be over. This is what it is like to be a closeted gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender member of law enforcement. Now imagine you just came out at work or are thinking about coming out and living openly but you don’t know what resources are available to you. You are afraid of backlash, resentment, differential treatment, etc. This section of my archive is dedicated to supporting those who identify as LGBT members of law enforcement and their straight allies.  It is my intent that the information listed below be practical for those who are out, those who are not out, and those who are friends, coworkers, partners, and loved ones of LGBT law enforcement personnel. Furthermore, I hope these resources listed below are of help to anyone who should find them and need them regardless of their occupation or identity. This guide is also intended for the LGBT community to become aware of the resources out there for them as well as the many LGBT police groups that are there willing to support and protect them and bridge the gap created back at Stonewall.

1.Gay Officers Action League

The Gay Officers Action League (GOAL) was formed in 1982 in New York to address the needs, issues, and concerns of gay and lesbian law enforcement personnel. Since it’s beginning GOAL New York has advocated for the rights of its members and has assisted them on matters of discrimination, harassment, and disparate treatment in the workplace. GOAL is committed to educating and training police personnel in order to promote a positive relationship between the police and LGBT communities. On GOALs website, you will find links to different chapters as well as news and events happening with GOAL. This is a valuable resource for LGBT police officers in order to network and find a local chapter. This resource is also incredibly valuable to the LGBT community so that LGBT people can see the officers and get to know the officers that represent them and serve their community.

http://www.goalny.org/

 

 

2. Out To Protect

Out To Protect is an organization that was created to spread awareness of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender professionals currently working in law enforcement, out or not. This organization provides scholarships to LGBT recruits to be able to afford equipment or in some cases tuition to attend a police academy. Out To Protect also provides grants to law enforcement agencies who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford the funding to create and maintain LGBT training amongst their recruits and officers. This is such an amazing resource for LGBT people and future recruits to be able to be awarded scholarships to help them reach their goals of become officers to increase visibility and become role models within the community. This also is an extremely valuable resource for officers to bring training to their departments if they don’t have it. With the grants provided by Out To Protect there is literally no reason a department couldn’t have LGBT sensitivity training and awareness.

http://www.outtoprotect.org/

3. Coming Out From Behind The Badge

Coming Out From Behind The Badge is an organization that provides resources as an education initiative to create a better awareness of LGBT professionals in law enforcement. Resources provided by this organization are a series of books as well as contacts of many LGBT organizations and what they do. This organization is such an amazing resource for police officers who identify as LGBT, whether they have come out or are not, to feel included, loved, respected, and supported. The above organization has a collection of books that provide stories and personal accounts from officers all over the nation who are out and successful. These officers shared their stories so that those who are uncomfortable or those who fear coming out can have the courage and support to come out themselves. Most states still do not have any protection for LGBT persons in the workplace so an organization like this is vital to protecting your career and having the resources needed and support if an officer did face discrimination based on being LGBT.

http://www.comingoutfrombehindthebadge.com/

4. TCOPS, Transgender Community of Police and Sheriffs

TCOPS is an organization that was created to support and provide a network for transgendered law enforcement officers.  TCOPS membership consist of patrol officers, deputies, federal officers, detectives, correctional officers, parole agents, probation officers, constables, rangers, parks police, police officers, deputy sheriffs, state special agents, federal special agents, special police officers, reserve officers, district attorney investigators, forensic scientists, crime scene technicians, military law enforcement personnel, corrections officers & CID officers, community service officers, college, campus, and school police officers, latent fingerprint examiners, and other support staff, and retired officers.  This type of organization is incredibly important for transgender personnel working in law enforcement because not only do they receive peer support and guidance, TCOPS helps officers deal with issues such as name changes on credentials and employment documents, the employee’s presentation and appearance at work both prior to, during, and after a transition, grooming standards, concerns of co-workers, restroom access, and locker room accommodations. Specific policies, guidelines, or practices may not be in place in certain departments and TCOPS offers a network and support in helping officers and departments develop such guidelines and policies.

http://tcops-international.org/index.html

5. The Badge of Life

The Badge of Life is a nonprofit organization that supports and provides resources for police officers thinking of or affected by suicide. In 2016, 140 officers were killed in the line of duty. Although that number is staggering, statistics show that more law enforcement officers die by suicide than are killed in the line of duty. Each year there is on average a total of 130 police suicides. For every one police suicide, almost 1000 officers continue living and working while suffering from PTSD. When your profession lists strength and bravery as job requirements, there isn’t much space left for vulnerability. We work every day on our physical health, but we often forget that at the end of the day, our mental state is going to decide whether we win or lose each battle. So now on top of the normal stresses of police work add on living as an openly LGBT officer or even living closeted and feeling like you won’t be accepted and you can’t see the possibility of living as both an openly LGBT person and a police officer. Police officers and LGBT people are two of the most susceptible groups to suicide so this resource alone is one of the most important for LGBT police officers whose struggles and stresses make them twice as more vulnerable to suicide than the average police officer or the average LGBT identifying person.

www.badgeoflife.com

 

6. GLBT National Hotline

  The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender national hotline is a nonprofit organization that provides support via telephone, online chat, or email. The hotline can provide individuals with local resources for every city and town across the United States. One of the most important features of this hotline is that the support is free and confidential. The hotline maintains the largest database of resources with over 15,000 listings. These resources range from support groups to sports leagues to LGBT friendly businesses. This organization is vital to all LGBT because they provide support, resources, and most importantly a listening ear. No matter what crisis you’re going through or what you’re struggling with this organization is there to help and ensure you that its ok to ask for help.

http://www.glbthotline.org/

“Coming Out From Behind The Badge is a collection of books about coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender while working in law enforcement, the fire service, and EMS profession. We feature stories from public safety professionals who are “out” on the job in communities around the United States.”

Greg Miraglia is both the author and founder of the above books and organization Coming Out From Behind The Badge. Miraglia worked in law enforcement for 25 years while he was “in the closet”about his sexuality. In 2004, he wanted to come out. He searched for books, stories, and resources about and from other officers who came out and were successful on the job. The problem was, it didn’t exist, he found nothing. Instead he decided to share his story and create resources for other LGBT officers and decided to begin working with law enforcement professionals who still struggle with the homophobia that still exists in policing.

Miraglia writes: “Law enforcement is a noble career that demands courage and personal commitment to serve our communities and society as a whole.  Law enforcement personnel who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual have to have another kind of courage to be successful in a largely conservative and often times homophobic profession.  We look to law enforcement officers to be role models, community leaders, and in some ways, “heroes.”  But even law enforcement officers need good role models to be successful and this is particularly important for current or aspiring law enforcement officers who happen to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual.  Law enforcement as a whole needs strong gay, lesbian, and bisexual personnel to be out at work in order to correct the misinformation, misperceptions, and definitions of what it means have a sexual orientation other than heterosexual.”

The above excerpts and brief biography is from the organizations website (link below). While the website was created and copyrighted in 2017, Coming out from Behind the Badge was originally created in 2005 when Miraglia first created the first edition of the above novels. Out To Protect was created shortly after in 2009. The original project, Coming Out From Behind The Badge created enough profit to provide scholarships for “out” LGBT law enforcement students as a way to support role models and leaders from the LGBT community pursuing a career in law enforcement.  In 2009, Miriglia formed Out To Protect Incorporated as a non-profit organization.  COFBTB/Out To Protect now provides scholarships, offers grants to law enforcement for LGBT awareness training, provides online education and training, and offers resources and support for LGBT officers coming out.

I chose to focus on these books and the overall organization because even in 2017, there are many LGBT officers that stay inside the closet and are afraid to come out, out of fear of not being accepted or being discriminated against. I personally know a handful of officers who refuse to come out at work and when I came out I had no idea what resources were available to me. This organization and the books written help officers come to terms with coming out on the job. The police service has come a long way, as did society, but obviously there is more to be done if officers are still not confident in coming out and still fear that homophobia still exists within the ranks. These resources help LGBT officers who are questioning coming out which then increases visibility to the LGBT community that the police force is starting to reflect the community. This organization and the resources provided paves the way for more officers to be open about their sexuality which in turn will no longer be unusual or uncommon to have an openly gay senior police officer or high-ranking boss. Change starts from within.

Out To Protect

Coming Out From Behind The Badge

“The two rainbow colored communicating faces that can be seen in the logo represent both the criminal justice community and the LGBT community. They form a symbolic heart that symbolizes balance, togetherness and mutual respect.”

The excerpt above is the description written directly by the Proud To Be Your Friend organization and world conference for the above pictured logo. Below the logo is a short video summary of the 2016 Proud To Be Your Friend world conference in Amsterdam. This was the first world conference of its kind specifically for LGBT criminal justice professionals from all over the world. In total, 26 countries from six continents were represented by their officers. The conference like any conference had many workshops specifically geared towards criminal justice and more importantly LGBT professionals and the LGBT community. Many subject topics throughout the conference were touched on but some of the most important were:

-how to construct a well-functioning LGBT police network

– self-identification in the Criminal Justice workplace

-Engaging the Criminal Justice system on LGBT rights

-LGBT curriculum at Police Academies worldwide

-Dealing with transgender prisoners respectfully

I chose to show case this organization/world conference which had its inaugural year in 2016, because not only does it show case how far policing has come and the LGBT communities, it shows just in the representation of each nation and the thousands of officers who showed up wanting to bring change to their departments is a step in the right direction of bringing “balance, togetherness and mutual respect to both communities“. This overall goal for both communities is why I chose to include the photo and description of the logo.

Proud To Be Your Friend

 

“NYPD provides clear guidelines for how transgender cops can inform superiors of preferred pronouns, names”

The NYPD wants to ease the transitions of the department’s transgendered members. A new section of the NYPD’s Patrol Guide describes how transgender NYPD employees can inform their superiors about what names they wish to use, which pronouns they prefer and which locker room they’ll use.

“The aim is to provide guidance as our members navigate what is truly a significant life experience,” NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said Wednesday. “Of course, they will decide when and with whom they will share any private information. But now, all NYPD cops or civilian employees who make this decision will have help and a clear process.”

The three-page patrol guide entry offers definitions of terms like “gender identity,” “gender expression,” “transgender,” “gender non-conforming” and “transitioning.” Employees can schedule a photo for a new ID, and, if needed, request an application to transfer to another command. “We now have transgender police officers that want to live out and openly as transgender police officers, and they have brought us their unique experience on this job,” said Detective Brian Downey, the president of the Gay Officers Action League, or GOAL.

 

The above excerpt is from the article “NYPD provides clear guidelines for how transgender cops can inform superiors of preferred pronouns, names” written by John Annese for the New York Daily News which was published on June 22, 2017. I chose this article for a number of reasons. Although there were monumental changes in 2014 for LGBT rights, LGBT rights in the workplace are not law and right now the current state of affairs for LGBT rights under President Trump is questionable. It is even worse for those who are transgender. Recently President Trump tweeted about how he’d like to put a ban on transgender persons serving in the military and multiple states are arguing over which bathroom is acceptable for a transgender person to use. With all the progress made thus far in LGBT rights, transgender persons have taken the back seat and have been treated like second-class citizens.

So at this point you’re probably wondering where I am going with this and how does this relate to the lives and culture of LGBT police officers… Well, it’s no secret that many police departments end up under scrutiny for issues regarding discrimination, homophobia, racism, and sexism. Law enforcement has always for the most part been predominantly occupied by conservative straight white men. For as long as policing has been around, police officers live by a specific culture and often develop an us against them mentality at work. It’s no secret that in the past there was certainly an unwritten code of silence where you don’t speak up on another officer’s misconduct. This misconduct could be something as simple as an officer hearing inappropriate offensive language or “locker room talk” and saying nothing. So this article is so important because the NYPD is and has been paving the way for years for departments to change their old fashion police culture. The NYPD is accepting their officers and providing resources and support regardless of how they identify, they’re basically saying hey if you’re a good cop you’re welcome here. You can do countless training and countless community outreach but that all means nothing if you have a department like New York or Philadelphia with thousands of officers who have that old school mentality. Change starts from within and the only way to continue to build that bridge between the LGBT community and the police community is by changing from within first and fanning outward.

Click Here for the full Article

 

“I remember asking God a couple of times as a child why I wasn’t born a boy,” Officer Budd said.

“Like any other rookie, you want the guys to know you as a good cop,” he said. “Nothing else.”

Officer Budd feared that his identity would keep him from being accepted into the fraternity of police officers. “I didn’t want to be judged before they got to know me as a person,” he said. “I didn’t want to be a science project.” Still, he pushed ahead. These days, the New York Police Department embraces “Out and Proud” as a motto. Officials boast of the hundreds of gay officers who help make up the department’s ranks. And inside Police Headquarters, on the monitors that serve as electronic bulletin boards with fliers for retirement parties and charity golf tournaments, among the rotating messages is one reminding officers of their rights to use the bathroom or locker room aligning with their gender identity. The public support by police officials in New York has come at a time when the nation is grappling with transgender issues — when lawmakers in some states have pursued so-called “bathroom bills” limiting restroom access for transgender people, but also when such legislation has met with fierce resistance. His (Budd) struggles with identity had been a source of pain and confusion. As a teenager, he was outed as a lesbian when his mother found notes from a high school crush. After high school, he enlisted in the Army as a woman, but that was in the era of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a policy that allowed gay and lesbian soldiers to serve, but not openly, and he said he was discharged after almost a year because of his sexual orientation. (After the policy was rescinded, he re-enlisted as a reservist, still as a woman.)

Shown above, is an excerpt from the article “Transgender on the Force” published by the New York Times in August 2016. While the article discusses a few openly transgender individuals, the focus is on Officer Aiden Budd who is featured in the above photo. Aiden is one of only two active open transgender officers serving in the NYPD today. I chose to feature Officer Aiden Budd because although I do not know him, I have friends who have had the privilege of meeting this officer and hearing his story and knowing his struggles. Officer Budd is truly inspirational to the LGBT community. In a time where powerful politicians debate the value of this officer’s life, determine what rights he can or cannot have, and tell him he doesn’t belong, he continues to put his uniform on each and every day and go to work in a masculine driven occupation to protect his city while being openly transgender and living his life as authentically as possible. Each and every day he goes to work willing to give his life for the citizens of New York, some of which disagree with who he is, some who invalidate his existence, and some who think he shouldn’t be allowed to wear the badge. Officer Budd has paved the way for all officers after him who feel like they are not who they should be and who may be struggling with their own identity while working on the police force. He also sends a clear message to the LGBT community specifically the trans community that they are accepted by the NYPD, they do matter and they can become police officers and be successful.

Click Here for the full Article

“Brian Downey says he was destroyed.

It was a day after the mass shooting in Orlando and the detective was walking away from a vigil where his boss, New York Police Commissioner William Bratton, spoke to a crowd of mourners outside of the Stonewall Inn. As Mr. Bratton spoke at the historic gay bar, some in the crowd chanted, “You kill people.”

“That vigil was not an accurate portrayal of who the [gay] community is,” Detective Downey said. He added, “The police commissioner is not a killer and I’m not a killer.”

The massacre of 49 people in an Orlando nightclub earlier this month awakened what some say are longstanding tensions between the New York Police Department and members of the city’s gay community.

Detective Downey, an openly gay member of the NYPD and the force’s primary liaison to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, was thrust into the middle of the acrimony. In the span of 24 hours, the 36-year-old went from celebrating his ties to both worlds to scrambling to keep them together.”

The above excerpt is from the article “A Gay Officer Caught Between Two Worlds” published by the Wall Street Journal shortly after the attacks on Pulse nightclub in Orlando. I chose to add this article to this archive because we all have sobering moments in our lives that leave distinct impacts, recently the events at Pulse Orlando hit many people hard, especially the members of the LGBT community. After 49 people were killed inside that nightclub, many LGBT bars, establishments, and events like pride parades saw amped up police presence. Many law enforcement agencies shared their support for their respective LGBT communities. But after the events of Pulse and a greater police presence, police only received larger protest from the LGBT community in that the community felt the exact people there to protect them were often the ones causing harm in the first place. So, what happens when you represent both communities? What happens when you identify with the both the LGBT community and law enforcement? For myself and many LGBT officers we felt trapped between two worlds, being a cop and being gay.

It was only a matter of minutes after police were notified about the gunshots within Pulse that officers arrived on scene, four officers did what they were trained to do and entered the building engaging Mateen. But then, the officers decided not to pursue him into the bathroom which resulted in hours long standoff that left many victims trapped inside bleeding out. This led to the failed attempt to breach a wall which resulted in Mateen shooting more victims. Since the aftermath of Pulse the investigation proved that at least five people were alive when police first engaged Mateen but died to their injuries by the time police breached the wall. The Orlando police department stood by the actions of their officers and stated the event went from an active shooter to a barricaded gunman with hostages. As a police officer it is always hard to Monday morning quarter back the actions and decisions of other officers especially when you weren’t there, however it is hard to understand why these officers backed down. As a police officer we are trained to deal with active shooters, we get the best information we can and go in after the shooter and if we run into the bad guy we are trained and prepared to deal with it. When these officers arrived, they were met by an active shooter and did what they were supposed to, go in but then they stopped and backed out creating a barricade with hostages. As an officer I can’t wrap my head around the fact why didn’t they keep going? Why didn’t they go into that bathroom and take out the threat as they are trained, why let it turn into a barricaded situation where victims are laying helpless with nothing to do other than bleed out. As a cop many non LGBT officers I work with didn’t see an issue with the response in Orlando, so as putting my career to the side, as a member of the LGBT community it makes you wonder would the response of been different had this of not been a gay bar. The next morning after Pulse in Philly was the annual pride celebration. At first members of G.O.A.L. marching was protested and we decided we weren’t going to walk in the parade to keep the peace but after what happened the night before we decided to go and walk anyway to show our solidarity with the community and that even though we are police officers were members of the LGBT community first, were still people and the events of Pulse affected all of us. We were shocked at the warm reception and number of claps and applause we received throughout the parade when just the day before it was nothing but protest. The initial backlash the police officers received during pride was hurtful to many because essentially, it’s as if you get put out from one community because your gay and then you basically get put out of the LGBT community because you a police officer. Overall, I chose this article because it directly ties in with LGBT identity and police culture and shows that many LGBT officers are simply caught between two communities doing their best to bridge the gap.

Work Cited

“A Gay Officer Caught Between Two Worlds” Kanno-Youngs, Zolan. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. 22 June 2016; A.15.

For Penn State students, you can access the article through our Library, for all others you can follow the link below but note you do need a subscription to the Wall Street Journal.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-gay-officer-caught-between-two-worlds-1466556447

“Educate and provide sensitivity training for non-LGBTQ law enforcement officers/personnel with respect to issues of employment of LGBTQ law enforcement officers/personnel and providing services to the LGBTQ community at large.”

The photo above is a recent photo taken on July 18^th, 2017 of some Philadelphia G.O.A.L. members (including myself) as well as Philadelphia’s executive director of LGBT affairs, Amber Hikes, at the Philadelphia Police Academy. Ms. Hikes as well as the members of G.O.A.L. take the time out of their personal schedules to go and teach each and every academy class of new recruits on cultural diversity, sensitivity training, and in general about the LGBTQ community. Underneath the photo in quotes is the second bullet from G.O.A.L.s mission statement, to educate and provide essentially training to law enforcement personnel. G.O.A.L. as well as most departments that have G.O.A.L. chapters understand that community oriented policing is central for a working relationship between the police and the community they serve. With that being said, the LGBTQ community is the community that has the biggest disconnect between the community and the police officers that serve them, especially within the transgender community. LGBTQ people are more likely to be targets of hate crimes while also being susceptible to other crime and other issues such as domestic violence just like their straight counterparts. However, the LGBTQ community especially transgender persons are less likely to report crime to the police. Most within the LGBTQ community have had negative interactions with police or felt like they would not be taken serious like their straight counterparts. Because of this and because of how under represented the LGBT community is, G.O.A.L. has essentially volunteered to go in and teach new recruits about the LGBT community and how to interact with people within that community. Furthermore, the Philadelphia Police Department has created Directive 152 which provides guidance for officers’ interactions with transgender individuals to ensure that all people are treated with courtesy and dignity. Directive 152 also provides guidelines for appropriate police interactions with transgender individuals, including in media accounts.  This Directive is one of only a few of its kind across the nation and represents a significant step forward in the relationship between the police department and the transgender community.

I believe this is extremely valuable to this archive because it shows some of the behind the scenes work G.O.A.L. members do within their departments to help bridge the gap between the two communities. This training teaches recruits that it is just as important to be respectful and sensitive with members of the LGBT community as it is with any other community they may interact with over their careers. This course also makes them confront their own feelings and values when it comes to LGBT persons and recognizing stereotypes and learning to effectively work with and communicate with those whose lifestyles are not like theirs even if they don’t agree with it.