Tampa Police Department Wears Rainbow Police Badges for Pride Month

LGBT pride month background. a spectator waves a gay rainbow flag at LGBT gay pride parade festival in Thailand

Opponents of a new initiative are snarkily declaring that people can now take comfort in the fact that the Tampa, Florida, police officer conducting your traffic stop is LGBTQ+ friendly.

They sarcastically note that one can contemplate the plight of those who are persecuted due to their preferred orientation as a police officer writes out your citation for slightly exceeding the speed limit.

Officers from the Tampa Police Department displayed their police credentials with a “Progress Pride Flag.”

The police will have nine badge options to choose from and wear throughout June, Pride Month.

A representative from the department claims that the badge represents their dedication to serving members of the LGBTQ+ community with understanding.

The five-color chevron and rainbow flag are included on the badges, representing “people of color and the transgender community,”

People not enamored by the idea of the department’s “virtue signaling: have snarkily said that the public may now witness a peace officer wearing one of these new badges and swoon about their tolerance and progressivism. Some questioned if it is the policeman’s role to display their virtue as they chase down criminals.

Two policemen on X explained the reasoning behind the badge, explaining that it serves as an icebreaker, an indication of solidarity, and a guarantee of protection.

Other critics wonder if the badges will create a certain mindset in officers that will result in unequal treatment in the eyes of the law. Will transgender people more readily talk their way out of a traffic infraction? Will a gay person not get a ticket for littering?

The questions are not all that silly. When the police department sets aside a certain demographic to honor in their uniform, it makes another demographic feel as if they are at a disadvantage.

The problem the department wishes to correct may very well be creating an entirely new one.

Critics are questioning the wisdom of the police being openly political.