Previous story(News Browser) Next story
Coming out in the Blue, By Inspector Phil Moore, Bexley Sector Inspector
About ten years ago a policeman friend of mine was asked a serious question. A senior officer wanted to know if he was still okay to drive a high performance patrol car, on his own, on a night duty. My friend was astounded, he had being doing his job for twenty years without any problems in some of the toughest parts of Newcastle and London. But what made him angry was that he knew the real reason for the question – he had just told his boss that he was gay.
I am a police officer at Bexleyheath Police Station, and like my friend I am also gay. I have no shortage of anecdotes about ‘coming out’ in the police, although none of them are quite that funny. But what that story serves to illustrate is that although overt homophobia is increasingly rare, society still has a long way to go. As a gay officer I do not want to be victimised – but I do not want to be patronised either.
February is ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month’. And I am in two minds as to whether this is something we should celebrate, or dismiss as another piece of government inspired political correctness? It is certainly a wordy title, which goes to show the huge variety of people it seeks to include. In seeking to be inclusive maybe we spend too much time quibbling over the details.
I have served for nearly 20 years, and have been ‘out’ for just over 10 of them. When I joined the police being ‘out’ was unheard of, now it is a virtual non-issue. But that is not just a positive reflection of the Police; I think the whole of society has changed for the better. As a teenager in the 1980s my only available ‘role models’ were Mr. Humphries calling out ‘I’m Free’ and Boy George. I laughed at the former, and danced to the latter - but neither of them was ‘me’. And so I remained firmly in the closet. I joined the police, and although suspicions about me abounded, I denied them strongly. I could not risk opening the Pandora’s Box that stored my secret. Would I be hated? Would I be rejected? The possibilities were too scary.
Then aged thirty, in 1996, I came to my senses. I was a PC at Streatham, when, one day I was attacked by a man armed with a machete. I was one of the very first police officers in the UK to use CS spray. I was lucky to escape with my life, thanks to the assistance of that spray and the timely assistance of a colleague (who, coincidentally, is black). That day made me realise life is too short. I decided to tackle the issue head on. Shaking with fear I told my colleagues, and was met by two types of reaction: “Oh, really, so what’, or “Okay Phil, like we hadn’t worked that out!’ People couldn’t care less. I was soon getting into huge trouble if I didn’t bring my new boyfriend to parties!
I am now an Inspector at Bexley, in charge of a team of over twenty officers. It is a very different place from where I used to live and work in Crystal Palace, and to where I socialised in Clapham and the West End. There is no obvious and open gay ‘community here’. In some ways I like that. I am first and foremost a policeman who is gay, not a gay policeman. It is still awkward telling new colleagues and associates, but how else do I prevent those awkward questions about my wife and children? That is the difficulty of coming out every day that is faced by gay people.
There are other gay officers here at Bexley. Everyday police officers, gay and straight, have helped the victims and witnesses of homophobic attacks. Some of my colleagues are involved in some very high profile promotion of gay rights in the work place. But what I like about my job in the police is that I can be ‘out’, I can help cause by writing articles such as this, but more importantly, I can get on with my real job, which is catching burglars, locking up villains and looking after little old ladies - that’s why I joined!!
So, do we need a Gay History month? Well there was Tchaikovsky, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. King James I was gay (and that certainly did not rub off on his son, the energetically heterosexual Charles II!!). The stigma of being gay condemned millions to unhappiness, even to suicide. It wasn’t until 1968 that homosexuality between men was legalised. The tragic bombing of the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho marked a turning point for the police, in that the MPS was widely acknowledged as getting things right with a victimised section of the community.
Of course, bigotry is not a thing of the past. Some of my colleagues, particularly in the county forces, have not had the same painless experience as me. I have experienced homophobia in Bexley (not whilst on duty). But when I speak to the victims of homophobic crime nowadays I rarely hear anything other than glowing praise for the way in which police officers dealt with them. Some people still doubt a gay man’s ability to be a police officer, but I have held my own in more pub fights than I care to remember, not to mention several Poll Tax riots carrying a shield - so to coin a phrase - ‘Am I bothered?’ If people want to take issue with me and who I am, then let them! The good thing about having a Gay History month is that it breaks down the barriers and shows that the world has moved on. It builds the confidence of those who are nervous about their sexuality; hopefully it encourages people to contact the police if and when they need to. And what I want to say is that if they want to join the MPS, they won’t be the only gay in this village!
Comment on this story
Trust steps up to the next level
Trust Thamesmead is going from strength to strength as it works towards building a brighter future for people living in Thamesmead.
The Trust, which is the major community development agency working in Thamesmead, has just published its latest annual report which clearly shows that the work the charity is doing is now making a real difference in the community.
The organisation’s Chief Executive Mick Hayes said: “I am very proud of all that we have achieved and the progress we are continuing to make. Everyone has stepped up to the next level both in terms of the quality of the work we have done and its impact on the community of Thamesmead.”
The Trust’s work is based around six key priorities which are: speaking up for the local community, building up the capacity of local groups, organisations and people, helping to improve the lives of children, young people and their families, building skills for work and life, developing community cohesion and working to improve the social, leisure and sporting facilities and services for local people.
Highlights in the year being reported include:
• Bringing Bexley and Greenwich councils together to consider Thamesmead priorities as a whole
• Exceeding all targets set for its Building Futures jobs and training project
• Assisting 17 local groups to access funding and supporting their development into stronger organisations
• Re-launching the cAve indoor climbing wall resulting in a significant increase in benefits to the local community, both educational and leisure
• Restructuring its Arnott Pre-School to extend the provision and an afternoon service for more children
• Creating a Youth Providers Forum and providing young people with high quality information about activities available to them in the summer holidays and increasing youth provision is specific neighbourhoods.
• Uncovering a wealth of local talent through its T-Factor talent showcase and delivering the hugely-successful Trust Thamesmead Summer Festival
Copies of the Trust Thamesmead Annual Report can obtained by contacting the Communications Department, Trust Thamesmead, 19a Joyce Dawson Way, Thamesmead Town Centre, London SE28 8RA. Tel: 020 8320 4470. The report will soon be added and available to downloaded from the charity’s website: www.trust-thamesmead.co.uk
Comment on this story
 |
More than 10,000 free tickets to the county’s top tourist attractions and destinations are available for Kent residents to download.
Click here for for more details |
|
