Gay U.K. cops
harassed by fundamentalist peers

Gay police officers in the United Kingdom are facing more and more bullying and harassment from their Christian and Muslim peers, London's Times reported Tuesday. According to the Gay Police Association, there has been a 75% jump in calls to a 24-hour telephone help line that was set up to deal with such incidents. The group is warning of a new wave of "faith-based homophobia," according to the newspaper. Meanwhile, the latest edition of the Police Review reports 14 cases in 2005 involving homophobia based on religion. Some examples included straight officers who refused to work with their gay counterparts. Vic Codling, national coordinator of the association, told the newspaper that supervisors many times are not sure how to handle such situations. (Advocate.com)