Gay Officers Action League

The Gay Officers Action League (GOAL) was formed in 1982 to address the needs, issues, and concerns of gay and lesbian law enforcement personnel. It is a fraternal organization that, since its inception, has advocated for the rights of its members and has assisted them on matters of discrimination, harassment, and disparate treatment in the workplace.

GOAL members include both active and retired uniformed and civilian personnel employed in criminal justice professions. The Gay Officers Action League provides an arena where members can feel free to discuss their needs and concerns in a comfortable atmosphere without fear of job related reprisals. It provides a safe environment for a group of people who have been, and continue to be, victims of harassment and discrimination in the workplace. GOAL also serves as a bridge between the law enforcement community and The LGBT Community at large.

The Gay Officers Action League is the first organization of its type in the world. One of its objectives is to promote the establishment of other chapters, throughout the United States and around the world. By striving for a high level of diversity and the inclusion of all people within the organization, GOAL stimulates the intellectual growth and self-awareness of its membership. In doing so it aims to motivate its members to achieve a higher degree of efficiency in the discharge of their duties as law enforcement and criminal justice professionals.

While the Gay Officers Action League is a positive force within the gay and lesbian community, it is also instrumental in attempting to change homophobic attitudes in the workplace and in the community at large.

PURPOSES OF THE ORGANIZATION

The purposes for which this organization exists are as follows:


 * to promote friendship and fraternity among its members;
 * to inculcate in its members a high sense of loyalty and
 * responsibility to each other and to law enforcement service;
 * to motivate its members to achieve a higher degree of efficiency in the discharge of their duties;
 * to impress its members with the principles of justice, equity and equality within the area of law enforcement;
 * to promote and strive for a high level of diversity and inclusion of all people within the organization;
 * to promote the interest and welfare of its members as law enforcement officers and criminal justice professionals and to advance the cause of equal treatment and opportunities for its members within the various agencies from which they are drawn in such areas as, but not limited to, appointments, assignments, promotions, retiree advocacy and employee benefits; and
 * to support its members against any injustice or discriminatory action which they may encounter within the workplace or elsewhere.

Being a cop is tough, being a gay cop is tougher; being a gay cop having to remain hidden for fear of losing the profession they have chosen is not comprehendible to me.

Affiliate Branches

 * GOAL of Chicago
 * GOAL of New York
 * GOAL of New England