NCJ Number
94364
Journal
National Centurion Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1984) Pages: 33-36,71
Date Published
1984
Length
5 pages
Annotation
An interview with Sergeant Charlie Cochrane of the New York City Police Department, founder and president of the Gay Officers Action League (GOAL), covers his decision to publicly admit his homosexuality by testifying on the city's gay rights bill in 1981 and the attitudes of his fellow officers.
Abstract
Cochrane was on the police force for 17 years and so well liked by friends and coworkers that his coming out evoked support and sympathy from most and benign neglect from the rest. Before 1981, Cochrane had been a deeply troubled soul who had suppressed his sexual preferences in the face of society's distaste for the gay lifestyle. Surprisingly, his life has run rather smoothly since he actively joined the gay lifestyle. He formed GOAL to help others avoid the unnecessary confusion, self-hate, and self-doubt that he had experienced and as a vehicle to show the legitimacy of homosexuality as a different rather than sick lifestyle. New York cops pride themselves on 'having seen it all' and a gay cop is no big deal. Cochrane, however, was in a special unit that trained new cops and not in the precinct mainstream where he probably would have encountered more hostility. He currently works in a special event squad that handles disasters, parades, and visits by political leaders. Another reason for the police department's acceptance of gays is that they are a political power in the city. Cochrane feels he was born a homosexual, and psychiatrists now discount the traditional view that homosexuality is primarily a mental affliction triggered by the environment. Cochrane maintains that there is no conflict between being a cop and being gay and that his goal is to erase the stigma attached to homosexuality.