Scotland Yard/guidance/ officers/advises to avoid calling gays "homosexual"

Scotland Yard is issuing guidance to officers which advises them to avoid calling gay and lesbian people "homosexual", it emerged today.

The guidance, which will be distributed to 35,000 officers and civilian staff in London, said the term "criminalises" gays and lesbians.

It says "homosexual" is "a medical term used to criminalise lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in the 19th century - the term should generally be avoided although some older lesbian, gay and bisexual people may describe themselves in this way".

Officers are also told: "A general rule is that if you are unsure about what term or expression to use consider asking the individual how they would like to be described particularly when writing a statement, for example, for a homophobic crime."

The guidance also gives information about homophobia, dealing with death bereavement in a gay family and the difficulties of 'coming out'.

Information on the transgender community covers the day to day interaction between police and transsexuals and transvestites, assisting victims of violence and other hate crime and the handling of transgender witnesses and suspects.

The guidance is contained in a new section about London's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community which is being added to the Metropolitan Police's Policing Diversity handbook.

The original handbook was published in September last year and contains information on the different religions and cultures in the capital.

It gives practical policing tips and other reference material such as food laws, religious holidays and population maps.

The new section is being added after an extensive consultation process and will be distributed at the beginning of next month.

Groups including the Met's LGBT Advisory Group and the Lesbian and Gay Police Association (LAGPA) worked on the guide.

Linda Bellos, co-chair of the LGBT Advisory Group, said it would "assist frontline police officers in ensuring that they deal with the LGBT communities with greater sensitivity and awareness".

LAGPA chairman Inspector Paul Cahill said: "I hope that it will support officers investigating allegations of homophobic and transphobic crime and those working to improve relations between the police and the LGBT community."

A Scotland Yard spokesman denied the use of the word "homosexual" had been banned.

"That is incorrect - the new section is meant to give advice and guidance about how people who may differ from the officer reading the handbook live.

"It is not a policy document, nor is it instruction as to what employees of the Metropolitan Police Service must do or say.

"The new section provides advice as recommended by gay and lesbian Londoners as to how they prefer to be treated and addressed.

"The handbook advises that, as we would all expect, the accepted terminology at any given time changes and also changes depending on who is being addressed."

The Oxford English dictionary defines "homosexual" as "feeling sexually attracted only to people of the same sex as oneself".

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