Sometimes, it all comes down to a small word when dealing with a member of the LGBTQ community.
"I see the biggest mistake, not just by officers but people in general, is sometimes calling people by the wrong pronoun,” said Dale Boyle, Community Development Coordinator for the Gilbert Centre's LGBTQ Safer Spaces Program.
“Sometimes calling people 'hello sir or hello m’am’ when they're not sirs. They're not m’am.”
In a sign of changing times, for the first time Barrie Police have received specialized training in LGBTQ issues.
Boyle delivered the Safer Spaces program to the entire service - 267 personal, including civilians - during 27, two hour workshops from February to June as part of their annual in service training.
The sessions wrapped up during Pride Week.
“It's kind of rare when an organization makes such a commitment to have every single person go through it but it's also really neat once it's done,” said Boyle. "Police were the biggest booker of 27 sessions.”
Topics included statistics on youth, hate crimes, partner violence, and suicide rates, language and terminology, pronouns, LGBTQ history, and trans experiences.
Officers also learned about what programs are available for LGBTQ people at the Gilbert Centre and across Simcoe.
The Gilbert Centre is a support centre for people living with HIV, as well as support to Barrie’s LGBTQ Community.
"It just completed the picture for us,” said Staff Sgt. Linda Moorehouse who facilitated the sessions where officers learned about resources for referrals and the appropriate language.
"What does LGBTQ stand for and when you use the word 'queer' who's okay with that. What does it mean? What does 'two spirit' mean?” she added.
The training from the Gilbert Centre is part of ongoing sessions police receive from various community partners in addition to the annual firearm and defensive tactics training.
Barrie Police was the latest group for Boyle who in the past two years has worked with 35 organizations, delivered 120 workshops, and trained 2,250 people ranging from Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit to Georgian College.
The sessions with police couldn’t have been more timely.
It was a controversial year with Toronto Pride agreeing with Black Lives Matter not to have Toronto Police March in the Pride Parade.
Boyle says many people in the LGBTQ community worried how that would impact Barrie.
“Lot of people wondered if police would be supporting the Pride Parade,” he said, saying people were affected by the situation even if the concern was irrational.
“Some people are really happy to know the police are going through the training. But other people are terrified of police officers and I don't feel it's LGBTQ alone. But I feel like part of that is a misconception. The training sessions help diminish that preconceived fear.”
For police, the education is invaluable and there are many offshoots, especially when it comes to younger people.
"The bullying that may go on in schools," Moorehouse said. “The younger people that are uncomfortable with their identity or have identity issues. Families that are struggling with family members that are going through these issues. We might get calls to respond to those types of things so even if we have that little extra knowledge it's going to help us help those people.”
The Gilbert Centre is recommending Barrie Police set up an internal LGBTQ Diversity Committee where the conversations and collaboration can continue.
The training unit might bring back Boyle for the fall training sessions.
“It was a super positive experience,” Boyle said.
“I think we're trying to build a relationship together,” Moorehouse exlpains. “In the past there's been some hesitancy, maybe animosity between the police and the gay community in general. I think great strides have been taken to overcome that and I think we have a good relationship in this community and I think it's only going to get better.”
