MDOC officer talks about uniform debate and gay pride

Michigan Department of Corrections officer James Sims says he is disappointed with a decision by the MDOC administration to bar him from wearing his uniform in Saturday’s Gay Pride March.

In an interview, Sims said he wanted to wear the uniform to challenge stereotypes of gay men.

“I want to show my community and the public that we are not all limp-wristed, talk with a lisp, or want to get into bed with every man we meet. While I am a gay man, it is a small part of who I am, but it is a part of me, being a corrections professional is an even bigger part of who I am, and I want my fellow corrections professionals to know and feel it is ok to be themselves and still be professional and proud,” Sims said. “Wearing my uniform would have meant that I was valued as a corrections professional and that the department recognized me as such, and that being gay did not matter one bit.”

Sims asked permission to wear his uniform on May 20th. He says he went to his warden with request because he was new at the Cotton Correctional Facility and was unsure how supervisors would respond to his coming out as gay. The warden, he says, asked for clarification on his request on May 24. And then things were silent.

On June 10, his supervisor approached him to tell him the warden had denied the request and provided him with her email denial. Sims had actually approached Warden through his union representative in order to prevent exactly that scenario from playing out.

Michigan Messenger reported on the denial on June 10.

“It meant to me that it was not ok to be who I am,” said Sims of the decision.

He noted that other corrections officers had been authorized to wear uniforms to a church service for law enforcement, Special Olympics events and even to the Ionia Free Fair.

“I don’t have information on the specific cases you cite, however the policy does allow for employees to wear their uniforms outside of work, with supervisory approval, when representing the department in their official capacity. I presume that in the instances you mention, the employee’s supervisor gave approval for the employee to wear their uniform after determination the employee was representing the department in their official capacity,” said Russ Marlan, spokesperson for MDOC. “The decision to deny Officer Sims request to wear his uniform in the parade was made by Correctional Facilities Administration Deputy Director Dennis Straub.”

Marlan says the decision was made because it was a parade and Staub felt such an event was better suited for the organization’s Honor Guard.

“I am disappointed the officer was not permitted to wear his MDOC uniform in the event. Over the past several years, the department has received a great deal of well deserved recognition for its progress on LGBT issues – relative to prisoners and staff. So in terms of further demonstrating that progress, this was an opportunity missed,” said R Cole Bouck, president of the Michigan Gay Officer’s Action League. Bouck is also employed by the MDOC. “I hope the Department will re-review its uniform policy to further consider such events in the future. I am encouraged that the Department has suggested MI-GOAL consider submitting a formal request next year, for the Department’s Honor Guard to participate as a group. While that had not occurred to us, we look forward to making that request.”

“Obviously we think it is wrong that the officer was not permitted to wear his uniform at the Lansing Pride Parade, as there are obviously LGBT employees for the Department of Corrections,” said Jay Kaplan, of the ACLU of Michigan’s LGBT Project. “It seems clear that he should have been able to represent the MDOC within the parameters of the policy (they were not serving alcohol at the parade and he would not have to have consumed alcohol). It seems that the MDOC must have a misunderstanding of the purpose of the Michigan Pride March and what occurs during the Parade.”