Gay cop outed by ex-wife is shocked by right-wing colleague’s reaction

A gay cop has talked about the time he was outed and what happened afterward. It’s one of the latest video stories to be posted to I’m From Driftwood, the unique, online archive of LGBTI voices and experiences.

Mike Crumrine is from San Antonio, Texas. In the mid-90s, Texas still enforced its “homosexual conduct law”, outlawing gay sex. Gay people could, and were, dismissed from their jobs if their employer found out about their sexuality.

Crumrine was in the closet. He had married a woman and they had a daughter together. However, he and his wife had split up, had filed for divorce and, in 1995, were engaged in a legal custody battle over the little girl.

Related: WATCH: Veteran TV host comes out as gay after 27 years of marriage

He says his ex-wife and her new, then-husband decided to tell a local media outlet about Crumrine being gay, and it had subsequently run a story about the gay cop fighting for custody of his daughter. Although his close family already knew about his sexuality, he was outed to everyone else.

Crumrine didn’t know how he was going to face the world or how others would react. However, it was a colleague that showed him things wouldn’t be as bad as he may have imagined.

A fellow San Antonio police officer who Crumrine admired and ran calls with sent him a message saying he wanted to meet up for a coffee.

“And I’m thinking, Aw, heck. What is this going to be about?” recalled Crumrine. “Because I’d sat for days and weeks and months with this particular officer who was very right-wing, former military, talked about how women shouldn’t be in the military … And he was anti-gay and certainly very, very right-wing.

“I dreaded going and meeting him because I’d already had so much happen to me, the last thing I wanted was to get kicked one more time.

“So we met local coffee shop. I got out of the car. He’d already been waiting on me and I was about to walk in and he says, ‘Hang on a minute.’ I’m like, ‘Here, it’s going to come.’

“He, all of a sudden, looked at me square in the eye and he said, ‘Mike, I was wrong.’ And I was taken aback.

“And I’m like, ‘What… what do you mean?’

“And he goes, ‘My whole life, in my whole upbringing, I had never thought that people who are gay should ever serve in law enforcement, should serve in the military.’

“And he says, ‘Because I got to know you, because I know who you are – the calls we’ve gone on, the things we’ve done, that changed my perspective. So when all this stuff came out, I knew I had to see you and I knew I had to tell you thanks to you, I’ve changed my perspective. Because I can see value in gay individuals being in law enforcement.”

“He said, ‘Mike, I want you to know I will forever be proud to walk through a door with you.’ That meant so much because prior to this, I had thought my sexuality was a detriment. His words were so empowering to me.”

Related: Ex-Mormon comes out on Instagram and grandma gives surprising response

The encounter was a turning point for Crumrine and he hasn’t looked back since. He subsequently relocated to Austin, Texas, where he says he feels open to be himself. He’s been with his husband for the past 18 years, and he subsequently got custody of his daughter.

“Now I’m the president of the Lesbian Gay Peace Officers Association, which is the first and only Lesbian Gay Peace Officers Association in the state of Texas. We’ve been around for 10 years. I don’t walk around with my sexuality in my sleeve, but I damn sure don’t hide it anymore.”

Hear Crumrine’s story below.

www.queerty.com/gay-cop-outed-ex-wife-shocked-right-wing-colleagues-reaction-20200212?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Four Men Arrested in Murder of Gay Journalist in Northern Ireland

Four men have been arrested in the murder of gay journalist and LGBTQ activist Lyra McKee, who was shot to death during riots in Northern Ireland in April 2019.

In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said the men were aged 20, 27, 29 and 52, and arrested in Derry/Londonderry on Thursday morning.

They wrote: “The arrests have been made under the Terrorism Act after the New IRA claimed responsibility for murdering Lyra, who was shot dead in the Creggan area of the city on 18 April 2019. All four men have been taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite in Belfast.”

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy called on the public for help in the investigation: “I have always believed that some people within the community know what happened and who was involved. I understand that people may be frightened to talk to us. I have previously given my personal assurance relating to anonymity for the purpose of this investigation and I renew this assurance today, as we approach the anniversary of Lyra’s murder. I want the community in Creggan to think about how that horrific attack impacted them personally and how it impacted the entire community. We saw widescale revulsion after Lyra was murdered and I remain determined to work with the community and local policing to convert that revulsion into tangible evidence to bring those who murdered Lyra to justice. I also know that many people were recording mobile phone video clips that night and whilst we had a huge response to my initial appeal for those videos, I believe that others may exist. I would ask anyone who has mobile phone footage to upload it onto our Major Incident Public Portal at www.MIPP.police.uk.”

CNN adds: “McKee was shot dead in April 2019 amid rioting in the Creggan area of the Northern Irish city, which is referred to as Derry by Irish nationalists and as Londonderry by British unionists. McKee, who was 29, was standing close to a police vehicle on April 18 when she was wounded by a single gunman firing shots into a residential area. She died soon after from her injuries, police said.She was the first journalist to be killed in the United Kingdom since 2001, according to the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists.”

The post Four Men Arrested in Murder of Gay Journalist in Northern Ireland appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Four Men Arrested in Murder of Gay Journalist in Northern Ireland

#AM_Equality Tipsheet: February 12, 2020

WE’RE NOT CRYING, YOU ARE — FORMER NBA SUPERSTAR DWYANE WADE TALKS WITH ELLEN ABOUT HOW PROUD HE IS OF ZAYA, HIS 12-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER DAUGHTER: Wade (@DwyaneWade) says that since Zaya’s coming out, he and his wife, Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu), have been striving to educate and create a supportive foundation for her. “Now it’s our job to one, go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have,” Wade told Ellen Degeneres (@TheEllenShow) during an appearance Tuesday on her show. “We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self.” More from ENews, NBC and The Hill. 

.@DwyaneWade — you are giving so much light and hope to young LGBTQ people, especially those who may not feel accepted as their true selves. Grateful to you & @itsgabrielleu for being such incredible allies and supportive parents. t.co/BBWxGqQYH0

— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) February 11, 2020

WHAT WE’RE READING WEDNESDAY — 2020 HRC YOUTH AMBASSADOR SAM MOEHLIG TALKS ABOUT GIVING LGBTQ YOUTH A VOICE: “The best way for an educator or other people to help the youth and make their lives easier is to respect them and to believe that what they are telling you is true. Just something as simple as, ‘What can I do to help you? What do you want from me?’” Moehlig said. More from Karla Peterson (@Karla_Peterson) at the San Diego Union Tribune.

NEW YORK AMONG BEST STATES FOR LGBTQ PROTECTIONS — BUT FEDERAL LAW STILL NEEDED: “Having a federal law that provides protections is absolutely critical,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow (@SarahWarbelow). “We have been working with members of Congress to support the Equality Act. It is an amendment to our basic civil rights laws that would ensure, regardless of where you live, that you would be guaranteed discrimination protections in employment, in housing, in education.” More from WAER.

OHIO STATE REP. MARY LIGHTBODY INTRODUCES BILL TO PROTECT LGBTQ YOUTH AGAINST SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: “The practice of conversion therapy is a dangerous and discredited practice that is based on a false claim that being LGBTQ+ is a mental illness that must be cured,” said Rep. Lightbody (@MaryLightbody). “Ohio must step up to join these other states and localities in ending this practice and prevent future harm.” Read more here.

NBC EXIT POLL SHOWS STRONG TURNOUT FOR LGBTQ AND EQUALITY VOTERS: More from NBC.

4.7% of Granite Staters are LGBTQ but tonight exit polls show LGBTQ voters are representing 7% of the electorate in the New Hampshire primary. LGBTQ voters and Equality Voters are punching above their weight and continue to be a constituency to court. t.co/MdRMrJ3u2y

— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) February 12, 2020

 GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

NORTHERN IRELAND POLICE ARREST FOUR MEN IN CONNECTION WITH MURDER OF LGBTQ JOURNALIST AND ACTIVIST LYRA MCKEE: More from PinkNews. 

UNIV. OF TORONTO PROFESSOR DEVELOPS APP TO HELP BRAZILIAN TRANS WOMEN AVOID VIOLENCE, AND FIND SAFETY AND SUPPORT: Professor Monica Malta (@MonicaMalta7) developed the app called Dandarah. More from Now Toronto. 

 READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
BBC reports on discovery of a 200-year-old diary highlighting tolerance toward same-sex relations dating back to 1810

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