DC Outting

Outting myself that I live in DC, that is.

Along the lines of yesterday's post, here is today's Post, in perfect timing for tonight's class.

washingtonpost.com
The Stewards of Gay Washington

The D.C. police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit walks a tightrope, balancing empathy for a vulnerable population with lock-'em-up authority. Like the community, the squad is still shaping its identity.
By Anne Hull
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 28, 2005; Page A01

Sgt. Brett Parson rides in his cruiser, groggy and unshaven, gripping a chai latte between his kneecaps. He will crisscross the city several times before the night is over. More sociological than geographical, his beat is gay Washington.

"Cruiser 9670, request assistance," the dispatcher calls.

"Brett, we got one of yours," a patrol officer radios.

Inside a Northwest apartment, a 39-year-old man has been beaten by his male partner. The victim is a lieutenant colonel who works at the Pentagon and can't show up at a military hospital with injuries caused by same-sex domestic violence without risking his career.

At the Giant on 14th Street and Meridian Place NW, a Salvadoran immigrant has run into his long-lost brother, only the brother is now living as a woman. When Parson arrives, he finds the figure in the dress slumped and bloodied, and the other brother is shouting, "He's a maricon," using a Spanish slur for homosexual. "Dios mio! My mother is going to kill herself."

The D.C. police department has a Latino Liaison Unit, an Asian Liaison Unit and a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Unit, but unlike the other specialized squads, the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit deals with the half-truths and complexities of sexuality.

When Parson teaches officers at the police academy how to deal with the gay community, he starts with Gay 101. They are blue-collar, white-collar, French collar and no collar. They may withhold the whole truth from you because their lives often are shrouded in necessary fictions. They might be uncomfortable dealing with you because they have been humiliated by you in the past.

But out on the streets, as on this winter night, Parson is miles beyond Gay 101. His squad knows how to deal. The small rainbow flags they wear on their uniforms are their passports inside. Once inside, they must walk a razor's edge, balancing protection and empathy with old-school, lock-'em-up law enforcement.

" 'We are here for you' is part of our message," Parson says. "But so is, 'You are under arrest.' "

(see above link for entire article)

This is part of the reason why I really like DC -- small city, but (except for the parade of Republican horribles) not narrow-minded. And props to the Post for publishing it on the front page!

[update at 10:59 p.m.] Check out the accompanying slideshow and video on the Post's website. FABULOUS!! And make sure you email feedback to the paper to tell them to keep up the good work!