LOOKBACK
LOOKBACK: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
February marks LGBTQ history month and the event is celebrated by thousands of people every year, recognising diversity and support for all who are a part of the LQBTQ+ family
their sexuality. But why did it take so long for this to be socially acceptable? As always, there is still criticism around officers representing the LGBTQ+ community. In 2022, Cambridgeshire Police published a photo on Twitter of an officer wearing a rainbow-coloured helmet and was slammed by some for ‘virtue signalling’. Questions arose around whether the hat devalued the look of the policeman’s uniform and authority, though arguably, seeing officers like this shows the community that police officers are human too. The reality is that the officers were just supporting their colleagues. The police have always had to uphold a particular persona of authority, respect, and being brave. It’s hard to understand that in this day and age, those who wished to follow a career in policing felt intimidated and fearful of discrimination, missing the opportunity of doing a job they had always wanted to do.
In 1990, Constable James Bradley from the Metropolitan Police Service founded the Gay Police Association (formally known as the Lesbian Gay Police Association) along with four other officers. The aim was to raise awareness and represent the interests of gay police officers actively working in the force.
During this time, police officers were not permitted to attend Pride in London in their uniforms; it was considered controversial and somewhat political. However, the LGBT+ Police Network argued that officers should be allowed to participate as it was a legitimate event. In 2003 the Metropolitan Police
Service allowed 35 uniformed officers to participate in Pride in London. This was a
“In the 1990s police officers were not permitted to attend Pride in London in their uniforms; it was considered controversial and somewhat political”
significant milestone for officers, inspiring other emergency services to do the same. However, some forces around the country condemned their officers for attending in uniform, arguing that they should be in uniform only to ‘police’ the event and nothing more.
In early
April 2014, the Gay Police
Association
(GPA) was closed when funding was cut due to government austerity measures and was replaced by The LGBTQ+ Police Network in 2015, which now has representatives from all 43 regions. In 2021, British Transport Police Chief
Constable Adrian Hanstock announced that he was openly gay; a momentous moment for the police and all those hiding
13 | POLICE | FEBRUARY 2023
Being a police officer in the force and representing a community that you belong to should be more about freedom of identity and not about politics. Everyone has a right to express themselves freely and shouldn’t be held back by a uniform.
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