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;
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•to inculcate in its members a high sense of loyalty and
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•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.