A recent and on going thread gone off topic... ended up being largely about many of our experiences involving Law Enforcement Officers (LEO)...
I have also noticed even in the TG Support Group I attend this subject comes up frequently as well and I decided that I was going to reach out to my Local Police Department here in my city to see about perhaps having a Community Services Police Officer come in and speak to our group during our weekly support Group Meeting....it's amazing that while we have a fairly active Transgender communtiy here...very few people even like minded Transfolk know we exist.
I still have to obtain permission from the person who runs my group before I begin making all the necessary contacts and arrangements...so I wanted to come up with a list of pertinent questions which I felt needed to be addressed and would provide answers towards improving the perception many have about LEO...and the Trans community.
The typical questions regarding Legalities, Rest Room Usage, I.D.'s and how best to interact with officers at lets say a DWI Check Point/Traffic Stop would be at the top of said lists. The dreaded Pro-Noun usage questions as well as perhaps How might we expect to be treated if we were detained/arrested for whatever reason? etc...you get the idea!
I also want to address the procedures for filing a complaint regarding Harrassment, Discrimination and Hate Crimes etc...and maybe even obtain help in identifying resources and how we might improve public perception for the TG Community in my town.
Am I wasting my time here or does anyone else think that such a Question and Answer session would be beneficial to you. to us and to our community?
I would really love to hear what questions you might ask your own Local Law Enforcement if the oppurtunity arose? as I will entertain any and all intelligent questions for inclusion in my initial contact with the Local Police Department.