112 4 Police and Law Enforcement—Family Forensicsrespondents would hesitate to give first-aid to a known homosexual officer. Ho-
mosexuals on the police force would raise the personal fears about contracting AIDS
of 49% of the officers interviewed. Finally, 74% said they would object to working
with people with AIDS.
Will departments make HIV testing a part of the screening process for po-
tential recruits (Blumberg, 1989)? Should HIV-positive applicants be hired? If an
officer becomes infected on the job, should they be allowed to continue work-
ing (Doyle, 1996)? Doyle suggests that policies to prohibit discrimination based
on sexual orientation should be developed. Employees should be educated about
homosexuality. Sensitivity and diversity training should be implemented. Gay and
lesbian support groups should be created and maintained. Having supportive het-
erosexual colleagues in the force is instrumental to a comfortable work environment
for homosexual officers.
Buhrke (1996) raises the question of what provisions are available for the partner
of a homosexual officer killed or injured on the job. As more lesbians and gay men
become visible in law enforcement, years of mistrust, stereotypes, and abuse will
have to be confronted.
Suggestions for Future ResearchBuhrke (1996) highlighted the need for a more detailed analysis of the experiential
differences that exist between gay men and women working in la\v enforcement.
Studies that examine the factors that influence greater acceptance of lesbian police
officers than homosexual male officers are needed. Currently, there are speculative
ideas surrounding this topic but little research exists to support the available theories.
Studies need to be conducted to examine the additional stressors that homosexual
officers endure and the impact of those stressors. Are homosexual officers more
likely to commit suicide or to have an addiction? Due to the relatively small number
of gay police officers who are open about their sexuality, qualitative research could
be undertaken to explore the experience of being a homosexual police officer.
More research is needed on the attitudes and perceptions that heterosexual officers
harbor regarding homosexual officers. Research could also be undertaken to look
at whether open or latent homosexuality causes greater hostility by heterosexual
officers.