Jane Castor, a 25-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department, out lesbian, and mother of two, has been named the department’s new chief. She will be the first woman to serve as chief of that city, and the first lesbian police chief statewide.
The mainstream media is noting her significance as the first woman, but (not surprisingly) is playing down the fact that she is a lesbian. The Tampa Tribune (link above) only wrote obliquely that she served as the department’s liaison to the gay and lesbian community. Over at Creative Loafing, Castor is quoted as saying that trails had already been blazed for her as an out member of the department, and her sexual orientation is a non-issue. Nadine Smith, head of Equality Florida, noted, however, “There was a time when sexism and homophobia would have prevented the most qualified candidate from getting selected. And so it is a testament to her impressive résumé and the progress we’ve made as a society that she’s been named as the new police chief.”
Congratulations to another lesbian mom for her contributions to the LGBT community and her community at large.
I love hearing good news coming from Florida!
I can’t wait for the day when gay adoption and marriage are legal there.
This is one step in the right direction.
Very cool.