This is unexpected. The Fort Worth Police Department made national news five years ago when they engaged in a Stonewall-style raid on the gay bar The Rainbow Lounge. The Fort Worth PD is now attempting to repair its relationship with the gay community by reaching out with a recruitment video featuring out gay officer Chris Gorrie to display the increased diversity and sensitivity now present in the police department.
While it's nice that the Ft. Worth PD is trying to improve its image and relations with the public, there's still some work to be done. Gorrie himself even makes excuses for discrimination in his video with implications that an officer should prove himself before coming out and engages in a little victim-blaming:
If you establish yourself as a good cop, one that works and not one that's lazy, among your comrades prior to them learning that you're gay, there's less of a stigma or they have less of an issue with it. That's not to say there haven't been issues. I knew of a guy who came into the Academy and who was gay – openly so – and he blamed his failures on what he perceived to be discrimination. I don't think he was actually discriminated against, I just think he used that as an excuse.
Still, it's a step in the right direction and is better than outright brutality. You can watch the CBS news report as well as the recruitment video AFTER THE JUMP…
