Coming Out From Behind The Badge is a collection of short autobiographies of law enforcement personnel who have come out as gay, lesbian, or bisexual while preparing for or working in law enforcement. The goal of this book is to inspire those who are still in the closet to step out “from behind the badge” and live their lives fully as their true selves. It is also hoped that this book will help the straight members of law enforcement better understand the internal and deeply personal struggles many of their own co-workers are dealing with on the job.
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 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. The Law enforcement profession, 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.
According to the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are over 1,000,000 full time employees working in law enforcement throughout the United States. If the famous psychologist, Alfred Kinsey, is right about his research and that 1 out of every 10 people is gay, lesbian, or bi-sexual, that would mean there could be 100,000 members of law enforcement in United States who are gay. So where are they all?
From Inside The Book
“What few of the television programs and movies ever show is what goes on behind the badge in the private lives of these extraordinary people. The stories told in this book are even more unique and have rarely, if ever, been told.”
“The assistant chief told me that this same lieutenant had come to him to “express concerns about my lifestyle.” … I could feel my entire body heat up and my face get red. I felt a type of pain, anger, and fear at the same time like at no other point in my law enforcement career.”
“My life changed forever that night and all for the better. …I have never been more scared of anything than I was that night. Once it was over, I felt more relief, more liberation and more free than at any other point in my life.”
The contributing authors in this book include:
David O’Malley
Greg Lempke
An Officer From The East Coast
An Officer From Alabama
Jon Henderson
David Lewis Jr.
