Comments on: Homophobia within police force soars

By: Robert, ex-pat Brit

Robert, ex-pat Brit — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:45:00 +0000

Roberto, sounds like prurient interest to me on the part of the police. I find it hypocritical, they hardly ever bother with female prostitution as much but go after Gay men with impunity. They should be concentrating on violent crime, drug dealing and other antisocial behaviour, not some cruising area where nobody is harming anyone for the most part, not that I condone this kind of thing, but live and let live. There are others here would argue the point that it gives us a bad name and stereotypes as predatory, but the same argument could be made for female prostitution and their pimps and call-girl services. No difference really, just a double standard when it comes to us, but then its always been that way and probably always will.

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By: Roberto

Roberto — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 01:03:00 +0000

Friends of mine, both Gay, are unfortunate to live in the Merseyside Police area and it's like Policing was way back in the 1970s with a huge effort by the police on trying to catch people cruising etc!?In my area, as with most others, the police have better things to do than staking out cruising areas and leave such areas alone.With all the gun crime etc in the area I'm amazed the Merseyside Police are able to expend half a dozen officers at a time to patrol the dunes at Southport but amazingly they do!

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By: Anon

Anon — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:15:00 +0000

GPA making mischief again? It may weel be fact that homophobia exists in certain police services but i question the validity of the GPA's so called 'evidence'.Many forces across the UK have shunned the GPA as their opnions are no longer relevant to what is really happening in some UK forces. As an out gay officer within my own force i have seen a huge transformation that the GPA have played no part in. Within my force gay officers and staff are able to be who they really are in a welcoming environment, feel valued, are actively promoted for thier talent and are able perform at their very best.The wider gay community are actively engaged with and their trust and confidence secured. I note the comments concerning Stonewall – ask yourself which organisation has ensured all the key step changes for gay men and women over the last twenty years? Oh yes, Stonewall, and their work with police services across the UK has been fundamental to ensuring real change, not GPA 'Met' based scepticism. Perhaps the GPA should seek to learn some lessons from its non GPA affiliated forces who are spearheading the change and not continue to languish in the same negative mindset.

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By: anon

anon — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:24:00 +0000

quote: We had situations where colleagues would come in to work and on parade would openly state their religious opposition to homosexuality and would even quote sections of the Bible, completely out of context with being at work and on parade.then these officers should loses their jobs. Would an openly racist officer be allowed to police, NO.How can any one with such hostile beliefs towards one part of the community police his beat fairly and objectively. Have we not read on here recently that a judge lost his postion becuause he refused to agree with gay adoption, and rightly so. Whats the difference with a homophobic police officer and a homophobic judge. They are one and the same. Dismiss them one and all.

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By: Jack of London

Jack of London — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:21:00 +0000

The thing is, that discrimination (e.g. treating a person less favourably) on the grounds of sexual orientation has been illegal in all workplaces for a number of years now. Recently a priest was fined tens of thousands of pounds for doing just that. So perhaps the Police might like to consider actually enforcing the law? Clearly a revolutionary idea for some police forces. .

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By: Bill Perdue

Bill Perdue — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:06:00 +0000

Excellent post, Robert, I couldn't agree more.

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By: Robert, ex-pat Brit

Robert, ex-pat Brit — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:23:00 +0000

Bill, am in TOTAL agreement with you on all of that. As I said in other posts, religious beliefs or bigotry has absolutely no place in the workforce, anywhere. The bigots can be who they want as much as the want, but don't bring it into the workplace, ever. I have a feeling some of them may be using the religious belief excuse to justify their homophobia. These bigots "choose" to be bigots, learned behaviour of course, and it goes to show the kind of upbringing they've had or lack thereof. Nobody comes into this world a homophobe let alone a bigot. Religion has done its dirty work for millenia and it will continue as long as we tolerate it or them. We need to go after them as well as the offending employers with impunity. If this were a case of racial or religious bias, the entire nation, maybe the government would be up in arms over it, but when it comes to us, NO. We'll get a lot of flack for this from the Gay self-loathers, ex-gays and Gay sycophantic conservative apologists for the right wing et al which only proves that they can't deal with the truth or the reality. They're already in denial about the situation in Iran and elsewhere. As long as it doesn't affect them, they remain indifferent. They contribute NOTHING to the cause for full equality and equal justice with their insistance that we can't rock the boat when something goes awry. Yet,they'll sit back and criticise the rest of us who fight and aren't afraid to stand up and speak to the bigotry while enjoying the rights they've gained by the efforts of the few who really care. It makes me sick!

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By: Robert, ex-pat Brit

Robert, ex-pat Brit — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:09:00 +0000

Anon, what is so ironice about all that is that Stonewall nominated the Police Force as one of the better gay-friendly employers. What a joke! Are they that naive?

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By: Bill Perdue

Bill Perdue — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 16:24:00 +0000

Many police officers work in dangerous situations and if they’re subjected to bigoted or racist actions it compounds their danger. At the same time it emboldens the thugs who commit acts of harassment and violence.If complaints of bigotry are made the officers involved should be removed from police work until the matter is solved. If found guilty by a civilian court bigots should be fired, fined or jailed as the law allows. Applying the harsh penalties of the laws against endangering a police officer will have a calming effect on demented religious bigots in and out of uniform. Bigotry will be removed from police organizations when the bigots are removed. Pursuing these charges through the civilian courts will insure more convictions of bigots than utilizing toadying internal review boards. If it’s determined that an officer’s religion influenced their bigotry then the cult they frequent should also be heavily fined and ordered to stop their hate speech. If that cult has a tax exempt status if should be revoked. We see more and more reports like this in pinknews from GLBT police and civilians alike. They are backed up time and again by posts in pinknews about bigotry, harassment and just recently stories about false arrest. The conservative claims that GLBT civilians and police officers making the complaints are in the wrong are simply lies. Repeating those lies is akin to the sleazy courtroom ruse of blaming the victim to divert attention from the criminal.

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By: Robert, ex-pat Brit

Robert, ex-pat Brit — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Anon, about time the Police Commission took homophobia in the workplace more seriously. Religious beliefs have no place in any workplace. Let them keep their beliefs where it belongs, in the home. Homophobia in the workplace is nothing more than harassment and should never be tolerated in any way mannor or form. Perpetrators should face instant dismissal, not warnings. Its the only way they'll be able to curtail it once and for all. Giving homophobes a warning doesn't cut it, we all know they'll do it again and again and sensitivity doesn't work either, not on the mentally deficient religious bigots. Enough, get tough!

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By: Anon

Anon — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:48:00 +0000

So if this is how the GPA say police are treating (gay) police officers….why does everyone (like Intercom Trust Stonewall) seem to find it so hard to believe the volume of homophobic attitudes practises encountered by some gay people violated, victimised abused by POLICE!!!In just one police force:- 1. Failure of ‘Duty of Care’ to a homeless 15yr old teenage gay youth (UNIVESTIGATED) 2. Attempted blackmail of a teenage gay youth (UNINVESTIGATED) 3. Abuse of a gay teenager in a strip search botched ‘Stop Search’ (UNIVESTIGATED) 4. Seizing of a computer destruction of a gay businesses (UNIVESTIGATED) 5. Failure to follow ‘TRUE VISION’ CPS definition of ‘Homophobic Incident’ following serious physical assault of two gay/bi persons (UNIVESTIGATED) 6. Refusal to take statements from Gay/Bi witnesses (UNIVESTIGATED) 7. Withholding Court legal documentation (Investigated, but pitifully excused by the IPCC) 8. Perjury by a police officer in Crown Court (UNINVESTIGATED) 9. Denying a gay person arrested and held in Custody food for in excess of 7hours (investigated, but pitifully excused by the IPCC) 10. Obstruction by police to making a complaint against the police (investigated, but pitifully excused by the IPCC) 11. Un-logged visits by police officers to further intimidate complaintents against the police (UNIVESTIGATED)THE IPCC does NOT want to know and actively avoids investigating homophobic abuse by police officers!Due to my personal knowledge experience of homophobic attitudes practises of police, as a gay man I trust NO police officers!

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By: lynne bryan

lynne bryan — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:22:00 +0000

religion has no place in the police work place the police have come a long way in the last few years,this bigotry has to be stopped.freedom of speech is all very well when it is not based on religion.what is disgusting is that the police have worked very hard to eliminate homophobia,so for them to come up against it in their work place is unacceptable.

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By: Robert W. Pierce

Robert W. Pierce — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 13:05:00 +0000

Religion has no place in the work environment. These bigots should be taken to task. Freedom of speech does not give anyone the right to harrass and bully, no matter what one's beliefs are. These hatemongers should be severely reprimanded. So much for Christian and Islamic values. Have they heard of "judge not, and ye shall not be judged"? Obviously not! The bigotry is breathtaking. Robert, ex-patriate, NYC.

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