Gay policemen

I received an email from headquarters on a Friday afternoon in early June. It was an email similar to others at the beginning of each month, where they declare the significance of everything celebrated that particular month, with a deep dive into the history of it. This email notated the beginning of Lgbtq+ fest, and spoke to the significance of Sally Ride’s accomplishments and contributions as an astronaut, while she hid her true individuality as a lesbian. It was the first age I remembered the chief of an agency, and a law enforcement agency nonetheless, had not only acknowledged Pride month, but put effort into it.

It encouraged me reflect on my journey and career, as I am now in my twentieth year as a law enforcement officer. It’s hard to believe how far things have come since I began my career in 2003, as Deputy Sheriff in a conservative suburb of Richmond, Virginia. Help then, I was deeply closeted, dating women, and terrified of who I really was. There wasn’t one gay officer among the ranks, or at least one who was out. Working in such a hyper-masculine career field, for an agency where the Sheriff could passion you for any reason, added to the anxiety and fear of

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