Memories by Bernard McEldowney
Being rebuffed made me realise I was gay
Bernard, born 1958, said he was aware of experiencing same-sex interest in his teens but “Growing up in Catholic Ireland we didn’t know much about gays so I didn’t understand what it was.” Bernard arrived in Birmingham in 1982...
Gettting conditioned to the gay scene
Because being gay in the police force wasn’t really acceptable, Bernard initially met the Friend group in a pub in Holloway Head (probably the Greyhound). “It was run by these older gay guys, the idea was to introduce you to the gay scene...
I was outed in the police
Bernard explained his ‘outing’ in the police. “I probably indirectly came out in the early 90s in the job. I was working with the CID at West Bromwich police station. There was some guy aged 21 in hospital having tried to commit sui...
Co-ordinating the Gay Police Association
Bernard, a police officer, recently outed at work, then talked about the Lesbian and Gay Police Association which was formed in 1990. Bernard said “I heard about it in 91 / 92 and joined as a member. I became the force coordinator, not be...
I came out on TV
Bernard explained how he came to ‘come out’ on Crime Stalker in 1996. “Back in 1996 the programme Taggart introduced a gay character; this was the first time an openly gay policeman was on TV. In the Central Region there was this pr...
Senior police officers just paid lip-service
Bernard talks about the reaction of the police force to his coming out on the TV programme Crime Stalker. “At the time I was working at Sparkhill Police Station as an officer, and I told them I was taking part in a Crime Stalker programme and t...
Allegations and counter allegations in the police
Bernard talks about what subsequently happened to him after he came out on television. “I used to have a group of Asian kids, in their teens, twenties, chatting to me, etc. After a while the young lads saw through me being gay and saw me for wh...