SGT. COCHRANE/ORIGINS OF GOAL

[bluepride]

Short excerpt from a very old article on Sgt.Charles Cochrane, who founded GOAL and testified in 1981 as an openly gay cop in New York City. This was at a time when the Police union head stated that there were no gay cops in New York! This is a nice historical article about the man who started it all for us! Do a search to find the complete article

A TOUGH MONTH IN THE NEW LIFE OF A POLICEMAN

December 5, 1981

Charles H. Cochrane Jr. has been a police officer for 14 years, and it is apparent even when he is not in uniform. He talks of ''the department'' as though it is his life, not his work. He lapses in conversation into the convoluted, polysyllabic style that leads policemen to call thieves ''perpetrators'' and fights ''altercations.'' Even in describing the events of his life, he uses the stuff of which official reports are made - exact date, time, place of the occurrence. In just that way, Sergeant Cochrane remembers the events of the last month.

Nov. 5: He meets with nine friends and acquaintances to discuss the consequences should he testify before a City Council committee that is going to consider a proposal to ban discrimination against homosexuals.
Nov. 8: He sits down with his parents in the living room of the home he shares with them in Canarsie, hands them a copy of a book entitled ''Loving Someone Gay'' and says the three of them need to have a long talk.
Nov. 15: He writes to Police Commissioner Robert J. McGuire to inform him that he plans to testify. And on Nov. 20, he enters the Council chamber, sits down at the witness table, begins to read his prepared statement and by so doing becomes the first member in the history of the New York City Police Department to announce publicly that he is a homosexual.
Two weeks have passed. The Council committee has defeated the proposal, and Sergeant Cochrane, a member of the Manhattan South Task Force, is supervising his men on peddler patrol. As he walks up and down 34th Street, the 38-year-old sergeant, a wiry man with close-set eyes and an easy grin, meets them and they salute.

He has received 15 letters, many of them from other police officers, nearly all applauding his candor. He has received dozens of calls, all supportive. His parents, whom he told of his homosexuality only after he decided to testify, have been accepting.

[Deleted]

I remember back in 1994 when I went down to Fort Lauderdale to interview Charlie for an upcoming article in the GOAL Gazette. It was the first time I met him and we spent an evening together talking about the early days of GOAL. He was very charming but also very intense. He understood the need for GLBT criminal justice professions to band together and support each other. He was very happy to learn that organizations now exist in many foreign countries and that GOAL was instrumental in making that happen.
In recent years, I have seen Charlie several times at the Fort Lauderdale pride events and he has spent time at our Florida LEGAL information boths. To this day, I make it a point to keep him informed of everything that all of the chapters do and he takes great pride in being the person who started everything. We, in the GLBT law enforcement community, owe him a great debt that can never be repaid.
Today, Charlie is suffering from cancer but he seems to be responding to therapy. He's a very private person who does not want to see any guests. I respect his decision, but get updates from him on a regular basis. Charles Cochrane is one of my heroes. In those dark early days, Charle didn't curse the darkness, he lit a candle and showed us the way.

[apdsgt]

I really liked that last line you got in there Carroll.
I owe a lot to Sgt. Cochrane. When i was about 24, coming to terms with being gay, I did not know his name or what he had done at a city council meeting. I did find out about group for gay cops within the NYPD. It was shortly after the September 11th attacks and a group of us were discussing the size of NYPD and the different divisions and subcultures. My sgt at that time said that they even had a gay version of the FOP with a huge membership. My co-workers were around my age and and none of them made negative comments. Their respect for police apparently had no concern for sexual orientation. That was also the day I realized that I was not alone.
I had learned of Cochrane's story after I "came out". I can't imagine standing in front of a city council and doing what I did on a one on one basis. Sgt. Cochrane definitely has my respect. Being a cop is tough enough, being a sergeant keeping the Hessians in line is even harder sometimes, but doing what he did is about as gutsy as it gets.

[hoosiercop]

How funny to hear about GOAL for the first time from your straight sgt. hehehe Kind of like how i hadn't known what rainbow stickers meant on cars until my str8 best friend told me. But that was before he knew about me either. hehehe

[Deleted]

Hey Apdsgt, the last time I spoke to Charles Cochrane I was reminded of one basic truth that all GLBT activists believe. It is an idea that we all share. Those of us who were in the early struggle like....
Frank Kameny
Barbara Gittings
Sylvia Rivera
Morty Manford
Thomas Jeans
Randy Shilts
Damien Martin
Vito Russo
Larry Kramer
Ann Northrop
Bob Kohler
We all knew that the struggle was not about us as individuals. It is about GLBT people as a group. Those of us who only fight for themselves are selfish and, in the long run, they never really get anywhere. Our struggle is succeeding only because we fight together as a group for the benefit of all. Welcome to the struggle Apgsdt. We're all very glad that you're here.

[bluepride]

Lordy,lord lord lord......I know you mean well but there's one name that I know that definitely does NOT belong in that list!!!!

And there are actually 2 or 3 others that I have a moral disagreement about their contributions. But that's just my opinion! Sgt. Charles Cochrane is someone who took a big risk and through his dedication, integrity and good sense, made a significant difference in the lives of gay and lesbian Police Officers and also civilians.

[Deleted]

Tommy, your name belongs on that list because you consistantly showed your courage in many, many ways. You put your job on the line every time you spoke out for us. You put your life on the line with us in Puerto Rico. You put your safety and career on the line every time you marched down Fifth Avenue with us. You faced down superior officers who tried to harm us. You spent your own money ot protect and defend us. While many of us were hiding in the shadows, you stood there front and center making sure that the job got done. So, you can bet, your name does belong on that list.

[hoosiercop]

Yes, Carroll, he does belong....... But the first name is spelled T-e-r-r-y!!!!!! hahahaha

[ltdetroit]

I applaud Sgt Cochrane and his courage. I am out at work, but it was never really an issue. I work for an enlightened employer that includes the GLBT community in its non-discrimination policy. Although there are a few homophobic knuckle heads in the department, mostly everyone is very accepting of me, and everyone loves my partner of ten years. Before I got promoted (and was therefore still a union member) the issue of domestic partner benefits came up. We argued about a lot of contract points that day, but when DPB came up and someone tried to argue against it, the union president (a devout Catholic and family man), much to his credit, shut down the debate, saying that DPB were going into the contract, it was not up for debate, and that we should move on to other issues. Some people at the station still don't get it, but screw 'em. I outrank all of them and they'll just have to deal with it!!!

[bluepride]

Hey Lou, thanks for reactivating this thread because Charlie is certainly deserving of discussion, no matter how low the organization he founded has sunk. I learned early on that Charlie Cochrane, while respected and accepted, didn't care about being "accepted" by others. His opinion was that he'd be the one doing the accepting, not "them". And he always encouraged us as young cops, to strive for promotion because less people could f*ck with us! And a decent number of the younger, early GOAL members did that. And, happy to say, some of us did make boss and some went fairly high up the rank ladder (not me!) which I'm sure Charlie was proud of. I'm especially proud of the fact that when I made Sergeant, that I worked in the same area as Charlie and would actually run into him while on patrol! I know I'm really understating this, but he was a great guy. Sometimes though, that's about the highest compliment you can pay to someone because of it's simplicity.

And I LOVE your last sentence! You held the same opinion as Charlie! That statement should be tattooed on every gay boss!!!!

[1dbigjim563]

When I read about Charles Cochrane, I have to admit I feel like a piker., By the time if came out and started policing, being out on the job was a lot easier that in Charles' time, Carroll's time and Tommy's time. We had our own here at the beginning as well including the late Robert Schoohover, Brett Parsons and others here who stood up to discrimination. To paraphrase Carroll during the international conference this year, we truly are standing on the shoulders of giants. In return the best I can do is try to be out and professional and continue to prove that our pioneers were right.

[bluepride]

Not to belabor this point but if Charlie Cochrane was still alive, he'd be severely disappointed in the backsliding that has been going on lately. Completely at odds with what he tried to do and did do.

[bluepride]

Among some of the artifacts of GOAL that I recently came into possession of, is this photo from a recruitment poster from 1990. I wasn't asked to be in it because I was at odds with one of the board members at the time. And if I was asked, I don't remember it. I added the colored framing effect. And it's specific for Blue Pride, so that's why I added the copyright symbol. Just thought it would be nice to put it here. And an interesting note: In 1990, NYPD altered the uniform so that their patch would be on both shoulders. Obviously this photo was taken before this took effect. There are members here from NYPD, NYC Transit and NYC Housing Police Departments. The three departments merged in 1995. Just some trivia!

[Deleted]

All so young, so filled with courage. Gay cops today, are truly standing on our shoulders. We have laid the bricks on the path they are walking. The cement on that path is made up of our blood, sweat and tears. The path is still not finished. I pray that those who follow us will have the courage to continue building it.

[bluepride]

This is what the earliest Charles Cochrane awards looked like. Stained glass in the form of our patch. Some say these were the most beautiful version of the award and I tend to agree. There are only a few of them in the world today.