Thought it might be nice to start a thread so we can discuss different womens experiences as gay police from around the world.
I joined the Queensland Police Service in Australia in Feb 1991 and resigned in October 2006. Just over 15 Years Service. When I joined at the age of 20, I loved it. Driving fast, catching crooks, doing drug raids, investigating murders. Dealing with all walks of life. Talk about fun.
Mind you, when I joined, it was illegal to be gay/lesbian in Queensland. You can imagine what life was like for gays within the service. It was very underground, no one (apart from other gay officers) knew anything about anyone. Mind you, they had their suspicions, even started a list of names, but they were never confirmed. You would have been sacked, charged, the men would have been bashed. Very Sad.
As life has evolved over the years, so has tolerance and open mindedness. I would say about 3 years ago, a few gays came out within the service and now it is accepted somewhat.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say that you would never be discriminated against when it came to promotion etc, but it is a far cry from when I joined. It is still a "man's job."
The higher I got promoted over the years, the harder is became.........being female, intelligent & gay all went against me...........hard to believe, I know.
Over the years, I became frustrated with the lack of support as a boss, lack of resources, lack of respect etc etc. As I was an active property investor whilst being a cop, I decided that I actually enjoyed property investing as it gave me a sense of achievement and satisfaction which was lacking with the police.
I armed myself with skills and knowledge that would lead me into a new career path.....property developer!!!!!! My partner and I have built a number of projects by the beach which we now holiday let.
I am loving it! Don't get me wrong, I had a great time whilst I was a cop and wouldn't change those years for anything, but life moves on, people evolve and the policing career was one I did not get satisfaction from in the end. I met some wonderful people over the years whi I continue to catch up with. I had reservations about resigning and wondered if I would regret the decision, but I have not and have never looked back.
So the topic has begun! ................... lets hear other cop's lives/stories from around the world.
Bundy