To do so legitimately we must be reflective of the communities we serve, that includes those from often “invisible minorities” of the LGBT community.

This is important because the police must attract and retain the best people for the job including those who are from minority groups. Currently, many staff and officers in UK policing “choose not to disclose” when it comes to identifying their sexual orientation, thereby showing we have a long way to go still. People need the self-confidence to be their authentic selves but also have confidence in the organisation. For a variety of reasons, there are still members of the LGBT community who do not feel safe to be “Out” at work within policing. In 2017 Dame Cressida Dick, the current commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, publically came “out” making her the highest ranking gay officer in UK policing and a role model for many. Slowly, this will be the same for representation of the LGBT community within all walks of life, including policing. In Police Scotland around 32% of police officers are women huge progress has been made with increasing representation. It is just over 100 years since Edith Smith became the UK’s first female police officer and since then there have been significant changes and increase in representation of women. “You can’t be what you can’t see”, the wise words of Marie Wilson continue to strongly resonate with me to this day and especially within policing. I am currently the General Secretary of the Scottish LGBTI Police Association. I have previously worked in West Yorkshire Police and then Lothian and Borders before the amalgamation to Police Scotland. I am Louise, a Police Sergeant in Police Scotland. Police Sergeant Louise Beale – Police Scotland This year, we are proud to profile some of our members and share what Lesbian Day of Visibility means to them. A day where we celebrate and acknowledge the lives and contributions of members of the lesbian community.

Lesbian day of visibility