Behind the scenes
(This article has been lost online due to the merger of the Southern Star and Sydney Star Observer websites. Below is the original unedited article. Our apologies for any inconvenience).
Behind the Scenes
No, I’m not talking about what happened backstage at the ALSO awards (that’s Rita’s column). Something with far less glamour but equally as important is the work of the reference group that supports the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer (GLLO) team at Victoria Police.
A large part of the rainbow community is aware of the GLLOs and their vital role in day-to-day situations. The reference group exists to help the GLLOs develop policy, and look at long-term strategic and systemic issues. Some of these have included input into family violence issues to ensure equal coverage regardless of the sex of the partners, issues around beats and further rainbow inclusion in recruit training.
Sometimes there is crossover between the day-to-day nature of the GLLOs and the longer term. An example could be the situation discussed in Southern Star’s GLLO column recently where an officer refused to recognize a young driver’s sibling via a same-sex relationship equally as one from an opposite-sex relationship. The situation itself certainly needed looking into, but also needing consideration was how this arose in the first place and aiming to prevent a recurrence.
The lobby is one of 10 community organisations who work with the GLLOs and community policing in VicPol to keep building trust as part of Victoria’s diverse community. In a future column my VGLRL colleague Barbary Clarke will talk more about this and the 10 groups represented on the reference group. VGLRL (and TGV) are certainly represented on the reference group, so if you have a question or suggestion on a longer-term policing issue, please contact us.
Sally Goldner is VGLRL Treasurer & TransGender Victoria spokesperson.
