Transitions
Transitions is the name of the newsletter which I have been receiving at work the last few weeks. This is a new newsletter which we are only receiving temporarily. The reason for the newsletter? After 50 plus years, the fire department which I have worked for my entire career is going on its last call.
Darran was a police officer until receiving a career ending injury while on duty. He now teaches at a police academy and is a fraud investigator with a major U.S. bank.
Greg Miraglia is a retired police officer, a dean of education, and author. He also hosts a weekly LGBT radio program called Outbeat Radio in Northern California on KRCB radio and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. You can find out more about Greg and all the amazing work he does for the LGBT community by visiting his website, www.comingoutfrombehindthebadge.com
The following is an article I was asked to write for a website called Fire 20/20 which serves to promote diversity in the fire and EMS service.
One evening at the station, I was sitting with my fellow firefighters watching television. A female coworker was sitting next to me and began to joke with me in a way suggesting I was gay. This was in no way a homophobic situation, it was merely a way in which she and I joked to relieve some of the stress of our job. My response to her joke was basically the truth in the form of another comedic reply. However, she relatively quickly figured out I was not joking, as did the other firefighters who were sitting close enough to hear our exchange. Once the laughing died down, I was asked if I was indeed gay, to which I replied, yes!
Brice is a police officer in South Florida. He is currently a detective with the special victims unit as well as a member of the SWAT team. He has been on the police department for ten years and has been open about his sexuality almost the entire time. He even served as the departments LGBT community liaison.
Brett Dunckel is the founder of “You Can Be Anything”. He is a firefighter/paramedic in South Florida. He wants fellow LGBTQ individuals to submit videos and stories about their careers in the hopes it will show young LGBTQ individuals even though they are LGBTQ they can be anything.
Interested in adding a story to the YCBA project? We gladly accept submissions in video or written form. We can even help shoot your video, just contact us, to check our avaiablity.
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