Customer Reviews

Coming Out of the Blue: British Police Officers Talk About Their Lives in 'the Job' As Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals (The Cassell Lesbian and Gay Studies)

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This book was the first of its kind and caused uproar within the British police ranks when it was first published in 1993. Based on the author's PhD research with anonymous officers, the book contains both a semi-academic introduction to each issue but consists mostly of edited interviews with gay and lesbian police officers that are easy and interesting reading. The combination of Burke's socio-psychological observations along with the spoken word, make this book compelling and it remains a must read for all police officers and anyone else who still mis-understands what it really means to be gay.

Marc E Burke was an officer in the British police force from 1982- 1986 and his book is a collection of transcribed interviews from currently serving and retired British police officers, bracketted by Burke's psychological analysis and commentary on the issues raised. Burke says he prepared the book for a cross section of readers. The general public to raise awareness of police "culture", the force to highlight the experiences of gay police, and the gay community to show the commitment most gay police have to working with them. The biggest discovery in the book is the notion of gay police living in a "no-man's land" whereby they don't connect with either their workmates because they are gay, or the community because they are police, and thereby bear the contempt of both. The book makes the issue of coming out in the force a major trauma and how a number of officers have resigned because of it. The force is perceived to be an ultra-conservative body and there are as many cases of officers showing their support for an "out" copper as there are of harassment by homophobic police. In the chapter "Casualties" there is the story of a former Irish officer hounded for years because he was seen living with his male lover, who was eventually dishonorourably discharged. The horror of this experience is expressed in 13 rivetting pages of beautifully written prose. All the interviews in the book are surprisingly good- easy to read and often funny and enlightening. What is not good is Burke's tedious commentaries, since he points out what is obvious from the interviews and his academic approach is often inaccessible. Burke's commentary is presented in plain text while the interviews are in italic, so perhaps my preference is influenced by what my eyes go to more easily. An annoying note is that each interview gives the officers rank but unless you have a prior knowledge of these acronyms or can memorise the list at the end of the book, you'll be flicking back and forth to find out what all those letters mean, or not bother as I soon learnt to do. A few things gave me a giggle. The San Francisco Golden State Police Officer's Association (GSPOA) used to be known as Pigs in Paradise (PIP) and their newsletter is called "The Hog Caller". The myth that gays are attracted to men in uniform and savour the use of their handcuffs and truncheons (!). That it is always the most homophobic men that gay men are least likely to want to bed. That force hockey is the secret lesbian society. And the classic beat story of an officer jumping out from a van and chasing a man across the Clapham Common. When the man gave up out of exhaustion, the officer tapped him on the shoulder and said "You're it now. You have to chase me .." and ran off back to the man.