The Los Angeles Police Department has become the first major law-enforcement sponsor of the Gay Games VII in Chicago, the department announced Thursday. Police Chief William Bratton said that he will allow officers to march in uniform during the games' opening ceremony, and the agency will recruit new officers at the games.
The decision marks the first time the department has recruited outside Southern California in four years. Gay Games attendees can take the first step in the hiring process, a written test, on July 18, 19, 20 or 22 at the Chicago Hilton.
At least 12 Los Angeles officers have signed up to compete in the games and plan on wearing their police uniforms during the events' opening ceremony. The LAPD will also be prominent in many of the promotional and marketing materials for the games, according to Gay Games VII Executive Director Brian McGuinness.
"I think this shows just how far things have progressed," he told the PlanetOut Network. "We're moving beyond mere tolerance to outright acceptance and support from all areas of society."
The LAPD has perhaps made the big leaps toward tolerance in recent years. Since the early 1990s, the LAPD has shifted from being hostile toward lesbian and gay officers to becoming what many see as a national model for integrating openly gay cops. Today, more than 150 gay LAPD officers are out, serving in virtually every division.
The LAPD participation in the Gay Games demonstrates the department's commitment to creating an open and inclusive workforce, according to Officer Michael Jolicoeur, the gay and lesbian coordinator for LAPD recruitment. "LAPD will continue to aggressively reach out to men and women from all races, economic backgrounds, and religious and sexual orientation."
McGuinness added that he is courting the Chicago police department and other nearby law enforcement departments to participate.
Gay Games VII, to be held July 15-22, 2006, is a festival of sporting events for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes. More than a tournament, the Gay Games is a gathering of the "international sports and arts community that changes lives, attitudes, and the very nature of competition," said McGuinness.
Larry Buhl, PlanetOut Network
