Calvin Campbell understands violent homophobia first-hand. Last summer, as he was walking home from a night out with friends, a male yelled “Look at these f--king f-ggots walking by”. Admittedly, Campbell responded unfavorably, and as a result, eight to nine guys surrounded them. “If you’re gay just tell us and we’ll leave you alone” was what Campbell and his friends were asked. They responded that indeed they were gay, and in reaction to this honesty, Calvin was punched in the face and fell to the ground. He remembers his friends telling them to stop because they didn’t want to fight. This only resulted in his friends getting hit, and Campbell being kicked in the ribs and head while lying in the middle of 5th Street, downtown.
Bloody and bruised, they got up off the road and ran home to their apartment a couple of blocks away. They phoned the police non-emergency number and told their story. “That’s just the way big cities are nowadays” was the response they got from the other end. Undeterred, Calvin Campbell phoned the police again the next morning. The police came by and were polite; however no one was ever caught or charged with the assault.
A friend let him know about a group within the Calgary Police Service that dealt specifically with GLBT incidents. This is how Calvin Campbell became involved in the Diversity Resources Unit.
In January 1996, members of the GLBTT community approached the Calgary Police Diversity Unit with an interest in developing a professional liaison within the two parties. Constable Christine Robinson, the designated liaison between the GLBTT community and the Diversity Unit works in partnership with the GLBTT community to “promote two-way communication thereby reducing stereotypical negative images, promote education and awareness, identify and resolve crime concerns and increase police awareness of community issues of concern.”
The Diversity Resources Unit’s Sexuality and Gender Diversity Advisory Board is reaching out to the public in order to promote awareness of who they are, and to let the GLBTT community know that they are there to help. Ultimately, the goal of this Board is to have all hate crimes and incidents reported and followed through.
The three main reasons these crimes and incidents aren’t reported are: a fear of revictimization from the offender, a fear of victimization from the police, and a fear of victimization from the courts. In the end the Calgary Police would like the GLBTT public to know that they “are committed to serving our community with dignity and professionalism and [they] want you to feel safe reporting an incident.”
The Sexuality and Gender Diversity Advisory Board meets with members of the GLBTT community once a month to keep the lines of communication open. Calvin Campbell has taken over redesigning posters for the poster campaign, organized by members of the community, which advertises the Diversity Unit. He has been part of the committee for over a year, and is excited about what has been accomplished and what is yet to come.
“I don’t always feel 100% safe as a gay man in Calgary yet. People in every industry in the city have a lot of prejudices that need to be broken down. But this is a start. I’m proud of the fact that I can say that the other members of the committee and myself are doing our part to change society in our city and our country for the better.”
If you are interested in obtaining a copy of one or both of the posters, or becoming part of the Committee, please contact Constable Christine Robinson at 403-206-8159. If you would like to report a hate crime anonymously, please call the Liaison Officer at 403-206-8150, or for 24-hour support call 1-877- OUT IS OK.
