Profile | Al Smith | Transgender Day of Visibility

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Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. A day where we celebrate and acknowledge the lives and contributions of members of the trans community. This year, we are proud to profile some of our members and share what Transgender Day of Visibility means to them.

 

PC Al Smith – West Midlands Police

I grew up in rural Devon during the introduction of Section 28 and remember the anti-gay tabloid headlines well. While I was academically gifted and succeeded at school sports, as well as judo at a national level, I was bullied throughout my time at school. I realised I was gay when I was 11, but didn’t feel able to ‘come out’ until I’d escaped to university. I needn’t have worried as my family have always been supportive of me.

I followed in my father’s footsteps and joined the police in 1998 – it was a way of helping others and enjoying a varied career. I ended up joining West Midlands Police because it was one of the few forces at the time that included sexual orientation in its equal opportunity statement. At the time I identified as a gay woman. There was no way I was going back into the closet, but I wanted to know the force would have my back if I was bullied again for being me.

I’m currently a force Intelligence Officer, a role I’ve thoroughly enjoyed for over 15 years. I describe my job as supporting my colleagues to work smarter to deliver proactive policing. Every day offers a new challenge, needing me to be creative and a problem solver. I’ve worked with teams tackling Organised Crime Groups involved in drug supply and the use of firearms, high risk sex offenders, as well as assisting in those investigating domestic and child murders. I’m currently part of our Serious & Organised Crime tackling violent gangs who exploit others, for example through County Lines drug dealing.

My self-awareness has developed since I joined the police and I now identify as trans, non-binary and describe my sexuality as pansexual. I started my formal transition in 2007, at the age of 35, and I’m currently the trans lead for the National LGBT+ Police Network. I work in partnership with colleagues of all ranks and grades, from new Intelligence Officers joining my team to Chief Constables commanding national DEI portfolios, to ensure the police service is better able to promote itself as an employer of choice for all individuals, not just those who are trans – for all those who want to serve their community and make a difference. It’s been an absolute honour to serve with pride alongside my colleagues who have, by and large, been wholeheartedly supportive of me as we work hard together to prevent crime, protect the public and help those in need.

TDOV is important to me because it’s an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate being trans. Being non-binary meant I’ve had to fight hard for a number of years to access healthcare, but it was well worth the battle as I’m finally comfortable being truly me. I’ve met some amazing people on my journey who are fabulous sources of inspiration too. TDOV honours them and the wider trans community for having the determination to embrace our true potential.

My advice… Don’t let haters drag you down. Focus on what you can control and having a positive perspective. Connect with like -minded people, be that LGBT+ role models or anyone who whose values and conduct you admire. Help support each other in whatever you’re seeking to achieve. We’re all stronger together.

Profile | Skye Morden | Transgender Day of Visibility

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Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. A day where we celebrate and acknowledge the lives and contributions of members of the trans community. This year, we are proud to profile some of our members and share what Transgender Day of Visibility means to them.

 

PC Skye Morden – West Midlands Police

Trans Day of Visibility is vastly important in 2021, possibly more so than it has been for many years. Trans people are subjected to daily abuse, anger and misinformation is everywhere. Police social media accounts receive hate every time they post support for LGBTQ+ or other vulnerable communities. All of these hateful comments, it’s like a death by a thousand cuts.

Trans people exist. Science shows this. We are ALL a complex mix of biological, psychological, and social elements which are interconnected. We are all diverse, with all of us having different chromosomes, different levels of hormones and there are many men who have a more ‘female’ pattern brain and vice versa (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists and Joel and FaustoSterling, 2016). Some people are trans, some people are cis gendered, some people are non-binary. To me, gender is a spectrum.

It’s important for me to stand tall and show my strength for my community, as so many trans people feel under constant attack from all sides, with many young trans people are terrified in their daily lives just for living as their true authentic selves. Standing up for myself and my community is possibly the most important thing I have ever done, though I feel like a mouse roaring into a storm. As a police officer we have a position in society where many people look up to us. That means I have a privilege and access to a platform others don’t have. I feel it’s really important for me to stand up and show the trans community, there are people like me and others in the police that hear them and will stand up for them, even though I am terrified inside too.

Simply going to the shops to buy bread, as me, feels like an act of protest and it can be truly frightening. Trans people just want to exist and be themselves in all aspects of life, and I want that for me too. To live without fear in a modern society shouldn’t be too much to ask, but it seems that we trans people and other communities have a long way to go.  I know we’ll get there, but that road to full acceptance and inclusion of trans people, it’s long.

Profile | Bee Bailey | Transgender Day of Visibility

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Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. A day where we celebrate and acknowledge the lives and contributions of members of the trans community. This year, we are proud to profile some of our members and share what Transgender Day of Visibility means to them.

 

PC Bee Bailey – Gloucestershire Constabulary

Trans Day of Viability #TDOV has become ever more important to trans community and those who so kindly support.

I like many of my colleagues have indefatigably progressed trans awareness, having banged desks, rattled hinges, sent long and grumpy emails, waved flags and marched with passion, noble intent and best interests of trans communities, experiencing all the threat risk and harm this brought in a bid to cause progressive change knowing there has to always be visible trans folk to lead, to guide, to change for the better.

As years go by we bear the scars of these battles, we might not shout so loudly, we might not bang those desks, and as age and the wisdom inclines, we learn to listen more than we speak, then we watch and fathom where trans visibility is today, but do we feel a sense of where? Where are my trans colleagues and wider community, why are they not always seen or dare not be seen when we know they are there? Confidence, circumstances or opportunity. Visibility is so important, we must be visible because if we see, we know, we learn, we better understand, and then we slowly and surely gain confidence enough to be our very true selves securely knowing we are not alone.

This is what Trans day of visibility is for me, Bee.

Profile | Christian Owens | Transgender Day of Visibility

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Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. A day where we celebrate and acknowledge the lives and contributions of members of the trans community. This year, we are proud to profile some of our members and share what Transgender Day of Visibility means to them.

 

DS Christian Owens – Merseyside Police

I have 26 years policing experience. I have been a Detective since 2006, specialising in PVP and I am currently posted to the Community Engagement Unit, but more importantly, I have become ‘me’. A visible and very proud trans man, who is driving positive change to improve the future for others.

I started my career in October 1994, as a 23 year old female police constable. In 2012, I made the biggest decision of my life and embarked on my journey of transition that would finally enable me to live my life truly as me – Christian Owens – a man.

In 2009, I had started to socially transition in my private life, dressing and identifying as a man behind closed doors and publicly on the few occasions when I felt strong enough.

I was leading a double life. A man at home and a woman at work. I was racing home because I was desperate to be me. Then, on 10th December 2012, having started my medical transition 8 weeks earlier, I walked through the doors of Merseyside Police HQ for the first time as DS Christian Owens. It felt liberating to finally be me, but extremely scary. I was scared of being misgendered, not being acknowledged as a man, of being bullied and isolated and losing my friends and colleagues. I got stared at, looked at strangely in the toilets, male colleagues would often awkwardly leave the toilets when I entered, refusing to use them. I heard ignorant comments, such as “I don’t get it” and “is that a man or a woman” and people did fail to challenge at the times that I really needed them to.

But what really matters is what we, as an organisation, have done since that time and how I have grown as a person. I am proud to say that we have progressed, improved and made important changes. Chief Officers are visible and want to raise the levels of knowledge and understanding, in order to empathise and fully support. But this is just the beginning and there is a long way to go. It is so important that we continue the momentum, encourage learning and awareness and listen to lived experiences like mine.

I now provide educational inputs across law enforcement and external organisations, as a visible officer and transgender speaker, to raise awareness of my personal journey of discovery. I live my life to the full and I’m grateful for every single day and it gives me an enormous amount of pleasure and satisfaction to now be a role model for others.

What does TDOV mean to me? Transgender visibility inspires people and gives them hope and strength to be who they really are! Everyone deserves to embrace the power within their true authentic self, live their legacy and love their life. And it makes me proud to be able to inspire others to do this by being visible and out as a very proud and happy gay trans man!

Profile | Will Ambler | Transgender Day of Visibility

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Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. A day where we celebrate and acknowledge the lives and contributions of members of the trans community. This year, we are proud to profile some of our members and share what Transgender Day of Visibility means to them.

 

Will Ambler Communications Officer/Dispatcher – North Yorkshire Police

My name is Will and I have worked for North Yorkshire Police for almost 19 years. I work as a dispatcher in the Force Control Room. Even after 19 years I can honestly say I love my job. There are no two days the same. I love the fast-paced environment and having to multi- task. Sadly, this isn’t a skill I take home with me!

In March 2017 I opened up to close family and friends and “came out” as Transgender, changing my name to William. The name comes as a nod to my father, Thomas William. Life changed for me on Halloween that year when I had top surgery. It was like a weight had lifted and for the first time I felt like the truest version of myself. I now live the loveliest life with my partner and our 3 children, we don’t use the word “step” in our house. We have 2 dogs. A Sprocador called Bramble and a Labrador puppy called Ted. Life is busy, but that is how we like it. We enjoy being outside with the “wildlings” and playing football with my son.

I asked my family what my best quality is. My youngest 2 ignored the question. My eldest and my partner said kindness. I am very happy with that. My advice if you are wanting to join the Police Service is would be- be honest. Be truthful. Work hard with an open mind and an open heart. Don’t judge. Be ready to experience things you could never imagine seeing, and get ready to work with people who will become your family.

Why is TDOV important to me? This is a hard question really, but for me the main reason is awareness, I feel it’s the first step in trying to end discrimination. TDOV is a time to be visible and to celebrate how far we have come but also to acknowledge that we have so much further to go.

Transgender Day of Remembrance | Friday 20th November 2020

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The 20th of November is Trans Day of Remembrance or TDOR for short. TDOR is an internationally recognised day of solemn reflection and a time to memorialise those Trans and non-binary people who have been murdered or victimised by transphobic hate.

 

Constable Al Smith of West Midlands Police is the Trans and non-binary lead for the National LGBT+ Police Network; this is their thoughts on TDOR:

It is important to honour and remember the victims of hate crime, Trans day of remembrance (TDOR) gives us the opportunity to highlight to the wider community the devastating effect transphobic hate crime can have on my community. While this is an important day, it holds great sadness for me.

TDOR reminds me of my vulnerability to hatred. It reminds me I live in a hate-filled world where others like me are killed just for being themselves.

It reminds me of others who have taken their own lives because of the daily oppression they face. That’s something I’ve contemplated in the past when I experienced bullying at work to the extent I suffered severe clinical depression. Far too many Trans and non-binary people have experience of this and is one of the main reasons I want to see our society be more inclusive of trans and non-binary people. So no one has to feel that their innate characteristics make them a target for hateful behaviours.

I don’t want there to be a need for TDoR, but it exists for very real reasons.

In the UK, transphobic hate crimes have quadrupled over the past five years. Trans people are twice as likely to be the victim of crime. Alongside this increase in crime is the toxic environment that exists on many social media platforms which can be incredibly transphobic. Behind every headline is a real person with parents, family and friends who are affected by these crimes and hostile words. Knowing this, how would you feel if your child, or a member of your family or a good friend said they were trans? How would you feel about them seeing transphobic comments? Wouldn’t you want them to be able to be themselves in public and be safe?

Allies are key in helping to make our workplaces and society safer and more inclusive of Trans and non-binary people. If you are an ally, ask yourself, what am I doing to help support Trans people? If you aren’t sure where to start, here are some simple ideas: add your pronouns to your email footer / social media profile, follow some prominent trans people on social media and share their stories, make a donation to a trans charity, have your say in the current Gender Recognition Act inquiry and hate crime consultation, stand up to transphobia you see online.

These are small things that take only a little effort but can make a massive difference to the Trans and non-binary people around you, both to those who are visible and those you may not know to be Trans or non-binary. It’s easy to make a difference and be the positive change you want to see in the world.

 

For more information on Trans guidance for policing. Please see the resources section of our website.

Transgender Awareness Week | 12th – 18th November 2020

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Trans Awareness Week is the time leading up to Trans Day of Remembrance. Trans awareness week aims to raise the profile of issues affecting the trans community as well as the stories of trans people and their allies. Trans Day of remembrance is a day dedicated to remembering victims of transphobic hate crime.

Ricki Kettle of Northern Ireland Civil Service was Stonewall’s Trans Role Model of the Year in 2019 had this to say about Trans awareness week:

“Trans Awareness Week is especially important for me as not only does it focus on promoting the visibility of trans people, it also highlights the importance of trans allies and how they can help make a difference to trans peoples lived experience.  Despite some progress in recent years, stigma against transgender people remains a reality.  In my experience, trans people want to live their authentic life and with the support of allies in this journey, it is made much more rewarding and empowering.  My own journey was impacted positively by friends, family and work colleagues and the many allies in our community.

“There are many resources that allies can access online on how to be a good ally, even watching a programme on Netflix such as ‘Disclosure’ will go towards educating people on just some of the issues that trans people face.  Many trans people’s lives are like many others, we go to work, clean our house, make dinner, take the dog for a walk, have a glass of wine or watch a movie.  We just want to do these things as our authentic selves, it’s no biggie! – Happy Trans Awareness Week!”

Paul Bloomer, Co-Chair of the PSNI LGBT+ Network followed on with:

“I would like to take this chance to tell the Trans and non-binary people of our organisation that the LGBT+ Network is working with senior leaders to make this organisation a better place for Trans and non-binary people to work in. We need your help though, we need the voices and lived experience of Trans people to help us drive the positive change we need in this organisation. We have a reserved seat on our committee for a member of the Trans community and we would be delighted to welcome into that seat.”

Article | Stonewall: Reclaiming Their Narrative

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50 years ago today, on 28th June 1970, the first anniversary of the Stonewall movement, many activists and members of the LGBT+ community marked the day by gathering in Sheridan Square, New York City and together they marched up Sixth Avenue to Central Park, the parade stretching for 15 blocks. It is recognised as the first gay pride.

Sergeant Morena Thomas-Wickham is a Police Service Northern Ireland LGBT+ Network Committee member and she says: “I have this black and white photograph mounted on a wall in my house, not as some sort of provocative statement but as a reminder to myself. I did not throw the first brick but I have a part to play and I am indebted to those brave enough to stand up and begin a long fight for equality. Those faces in this picture faced arrest and were jeered and spat at in the street. They faced being fired from their jobs and refused basic rights but they still marched, taking a stand and sparking a global movement into action.”

What is the Stonewall movement?

In the early hours of 28th June 1969, NYPD officers entered The Stonewall Inn, Greenwich Village, NYC. It was to be the third such raid on a gay bar in the area in a matter of days. Gay bars were a place of refuge for LGBT+ to socialise in relative safety in a city where homosexual relations was illegal. Unfortunately, these bars were subject to police harassment. Seen as easy arrests the LGBT+ community were historically passive and offered officers little resistance. This night was different. As the officers cleared the bar, arrested employees and ordered the arrest of anyone not wearing at least three articles of ‘gender-appropriate clothing’, the crowd did not retreat as it had in the past and a riot broke out trapping the officers inside the bar. Police reinforcements assisted the officers and quelled the riot, but over the next five nights, the riots waxed and waned. This was a spontaneous protest against police harassment and social discrimination. Stonewall was a galvanising point in LGBT+ history; the gay rights movement didn’t start that night but it was invigorated by what happened and just as Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama had the effect of animating the civil rights movement 14 years before, Stonewall electrified the push for LGBT+ equality.

So what has The Stonewall Inn and a riot 51 years ago got to do with modern policing?

Beth Wickham-Thomas, Co-Chair of the Police Service NI LGBT+ Network answers: “Stonewall is in the living memory of the LGBT+ community and it was not an isolated incident of oppression, we can see similar incidents across the UK and Ireland. Many LGBT+ people remember these incidents as they lived through them; this has manifested a deep-rooted mistrust in police in a lot of people. The LGBT+ community’s hurt and circumspection have been a barrier to overcome in order to achieve real and purposeful engagement. Despite huge progress over the last few years there remain many barriers to overcome.

Visiting the Stonewall site.

“When I was in New York in 2016 it was really important for me to visit the site of the Stonewall uprising. The site has been designated a national monument in the US. It was a moving experience for me to stand on the site where Marsha P Johnston, a black trans woman, pushed back against oppressive police tactics and changed the world. I think being a police officer made it all the more poignant as being an ‘out’ queer police officer would have been unheard of in 1969. It really showed to me how much the world has changed for the better because of Stonewall,” said Constable Paul Bloomer, Co-Chair of the Police Service NI LGBT+ Network.

Article | Transgender Day of Visibility

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Today is transgender day of visibility, or TDoV for short.

It is a day when trans folk, the LGBT+ community and allies celebrate the lives of trans, non-binary and intersex people. A day to honour trans people, to embrace diversity and to raise awareness of the challenges trans, non-binary and intersex people still face as well as celebrating the contributions of trans people to society. The day was founded by US-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall, citing the frustration that the only well-known transgender-centered day was the Transgender Day of Remembrance which mourned the murders of transgender people but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community. The first International Transgender Day of Visibility was held on 31st March 2009.

The trans pride flag is flown by many organisations across the country to celebrate the day. The flag represents the transgender community and consists of five horizontal stripes: two light blue, two pinks, and one white in the centre. The designer of the flag, Monica Helms, explained the design as such: “The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, for baby boys. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional colour for baby girls. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender.”

Sergeant Morena Wickham-Thomas of the Police Service NI LGBT+ Network committee said: “Research indicates that 51% of trans people have hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination. The ignorance and misconceptions around the trans and non-binary community is perpetuated by media sensationalism and this manifests itself in an unwelcoming workplace. This is why, as allies, we must do better. I must do better. As a supervisor I would be embarrassed if I found out that one of my team was frightened to be themselves at work. We all have a responsibility to make our work environments supportive, safe spaces for a diverse workforce.”

Constable Paul Bloomer, Co-Chair of the Police Service NI LGBT+ Network said: “In these challenging times of isolation and social distance which are necessary to fight the pandemic we face, we must remember those whose isolation is compounded due to them being trans and not being able to be themselves at work. It is more vital than ever that trans people and trans allies remain visible and connected.”

Leo Lardie, a trans man and Sexual Health Development Officer for The Rainbow Project said: “Trans Day of Visibility (TDoV) is about recognising, validating and celebrating trans and non-binary people for being their authentic self in a world that often frames our mere existence as a problem to be ‘solved’. With anti-trans rhetoric on the rise it is more important than ever to remember that trans and non-binary people are not an abstract concept to be debated. We are human beings who deserve the same compassion, respect and dignity that any human deserves. Today is about highlighting the accomplishments of trans and non-binary people who were often written out of history. But it’s not just about us, it’s about you. You must come out of the shadows to say that you appreciate, support and love trans and non-binary people like us. Remember to stand up for trans and non-binary people not just today but everyday! We cannot erase transphobia alone, but with your help we can!”

Profile | Remembering Marsha P. Johnson

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In celebration of LGBT History Month the Network will be profiling a selection of LGBT figures who have played significant roles in shaping modern LGBT culture or had a significant impact on LGBT issues in the public consciousness.

Today we remember Marsha P. Johnson. She was a trans black woman activist that lived in New York until her death in 1992. She is remembered by some as the person who threw the stone which broke the front window of the Stonewall Inn, in New York on the 28th June 1969. While the account that she cast the first stone is disputed, what is not in dispute is that the Stonewall uprising birthed the modern LGBT rights movement.

Marsha is believed to have played a key role in the uprising that began at the Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village after police raided the gay bar. Protests followed over the next six days. Marsha was on the front lines of those protests against oppressive policing, which disproportionately affected the LGBT community in New York at that time. Throughout her life she advocated tirelessly on behalf of trans people, sex workers and people with HIV/AIDS. She did all this in heels, fabulous outfits and flower headpieces.

“We were … throwing over cars and screaming in the middle of the street ’cause we were so upset ’cause they closed that place,” Marsha told historian Eric Marcus in a 1989 interview. “We were just saying, ‘no more police brutality’ and ‘we had enough of police harassment in the Village and other places’.”

The first anniversary of the protests prompted the first gay Pride parade in 1970.

An interaction with a reporter gave us one of her many memorable quotes, when asked what she wanted from the Pride protests she responded: “Darling, I want my gay rights now.”

Marsha was a drag queen and a sex worker; she was often homeless and she is remembered as one of the most significant activists for transgender rights, although the term ‘transgender’ wasn’t commonly used during her lifetime. Johnson identified as a ‘transvestite’, gay and a drag queen, and used she/her pronouns.

Marsha died in disputed circumstances following the 1992 New York Pride march. Her body was recovered from the Hudson river with a large wound to the back of her head. Her death is recorded by the NYC Coroner as a suicide but her friends and family dispute this.

Constable Paul Bloomer says: “It’s sad that she never got to see the many changes that have come about as a result of the activist movement she helped start. She never got to see police eventually embrace the LGBT community and become part of the Pride parades which were once protests against police action. She never got to see the New York Police Department on the 6th June 2019 make a formal apology for the past treatment of LGBT people and the raid which started the Stonewall uprising.

“The actions taken by the NYPD were wrong, plain and simple” said James P. O’Neill, the NYPD Commissioner. That frank admission was a momentous moment for LGBT activists, many of whom felt it was long overdue. The city of New York has also recently commissioned a public monument dedicated to Marsha’s memory.

Constable Paul Bloomer continued: “When I was searching for images for this article I found it hard not to smile when looking at pictures of her. Marsha will always be remembered as an icon of the LGBT rights movement. Her smiling face remains a beacon of inspiration to many today.”