PLATFORM : By Their Example

Outside the recruitment booth at the festival, Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs said of the coming out of these officers, “It’s been a long time coming. Change never comes from the top down.”

Wachs’ statement was a sad admission of his council’s failure to deal with bigotry. Since passing an ordinance in 1979 barring gay discrimination, the council has done little or nothing about such bias in its Police Department. And gay politicians who are in the closet seem to want to stay there rather than lead by example. Like the LAPD, most important institutions have policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but in a hundred ways, subtle and overt, they discourage honesty and openness by gays.

By their example, officers at the festival told lesbians and gays everywhere, as well as their employers, that it is better to encourage honesty and openness and coming out so that people will know that we are everywhere and make important contributions to society.