NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk has a checkered history when it comes to LGBTQ rights, but the tide has turned in the past decade.
Virginia's first same-sex couple was legally wed here. The city now hosts the largest pride festival in the Commonwealth.
And now, Norfolk's Police Department is taking it a step further when it comes to inclusivity. The department is working to bridge the gap between officers and the LGBTQ community.
“It’s just another tool to say that we see you, we hear you, and by way of policy, we recognize you,” said Chief Larry Boone.
Chief Boone issued the department’s first transgender policy and believes it to be the first of its kind in Virginia.
“I wanted to do something more intentional by way of a policy,” Boone said. “That policy included that we are going to treat you with dignity and respect. Biases, racism, all of those things will not be tolerated by the Norfolk Police Department.”
The five-page order was created with input from officers and the LGBTQ community, according to Boone.
There’s a lot to the policy: it requires NPD to use proper pronouns (like he, she, him or her) regardless of what’s on an ID. Officers can’t question someone’s gender identity or require proof, unless it could be related to a crime/legally necessary. They won’t use degrading language, either.
“We had some things in the past in which we didn’t handle as efficiently as we could because we simply didn’t know in terms of how we interface with the LGBTQ+ community,” Boone said.
Virginia Beach City Councilman Michael Berlucchi applauds the move.
“I think the things that divide us are very small compared to the things that unite us,” he said.
Berlucchi, a former President for Hampton Roads Pride, said the LGBTQ community is vulnerable.
“There are some facts we know,” Berlucchi said. “We know that people who are trans are more likely to be victims of a crime, and less likely to report a crime.”
He said the policy is a step in the right direction.
“Addressing people how they want to be addressed, that is a simple courtesy we can extend to each other,” Berlucchi said.
The policy also covers holding cells. Transgender individuals are to be housed in single cells, if possible. But, if cells are full, they will be housed with someone who has the same genitalia.
However, the policy states when an empty cell comes available the individual would be moved. At no time will the individual be placed in a cell with other persons who pose an obvious risk of violence.
“One in two people who identify as transgender, when they are incarcerated, they tend to experience lots of different trauma,” said LGBT Life Center CEO Stacie Wells.
Wells said the same-cell policy is unsafe. She also wondered if this policy extends to jails.
NPD’s information officer said it doesn’t.
In an email statement, they said as soon as the individual is turned over to the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office or another correctional facility, they will be housed based upon that facility's policy.
Still, Wells is proud of the city’s initiative to create a policy.
“I think it is forward-thinking and showing the city cares about its residents,” Wells said.
Chief Boone said his policy actions are intentional, so everyone feels welcome in Norfolk.
“Norfolk is a dynamic city,” Boone said. “It consists of all demographics and likes. We have to be responsible for those individuals that occupy the city.”
NPD’s 700-officer department is already following the policy. Norfolk City Manager Chip Filer approved it at the end of March.
There is a lot to the policy, you get a closer look at it on the City of Norfolk's website.