Page 4 HIGH GEAR JULY 1981

John Brittain's

Police academy lesbian

RICHARD MICHAEL FLORIST finishes first

14809 Detroit Avenue 521-3100

FLOWERS

Flowers for Mother-Yours or His/Hers

GAY OWNED AND OPERATED

Instant credit with any Major Card

FTD

County Wide-World Wide-We Deliver

Martinez, Calif. (IGNA) Denise Kreps, who had to go to court to be admitted into the state police academy at Los Medanos College to train as a deputy sheriff, has graduated at the top of her class of 39, the first woman ever to finish No. 1 since the academy was begun in 1949. "My jaw just hit the floor when they told me." Kreps said in an interview in the Contra Costa Times, "I'm still coming off the ceiling."

One of her instructors, Jim Glennon said, "She's a super lady and she did a heckuva job out there especially considering all the pressures on her." In recognition of her achievement, Kreps received a plaque with "Outstanding Student" engraved on it. She also received a sheriff's badge from the man who had

tried to keep her out of the police

RADIO FREE LAMBDA

WRUW-FM 91.1 Thursday at 10:30pm

LOU RAWLS DONNE WARWICK COMMOONR

training program.

Sheriff Richard Rainey said he objected to having a lesbian on the force because women prisoners might object to being searched by a lesbian deputy, leaving the department open to lawsuit.

.Kreps' ordeal began when an examiner for the Sheriff's Department asked during a liedetector test if she'd ever had sexual relations with someone of her own sex. After a moment of hesitation, Kreps answered yes. Despite the fact that she had been rated 16th out of 181 candidates on the hiring list, department officials told her they would keep bumping lower-rated candidates over her if she persisted in trying to get a sheriff's deputy position.

instructors and peers and concentrated instead on studying and training hard. She had to learn how to drive a patrol car at high speed, how to write tickets and deliver warrants, as well as how to subdue unruly suspects.. with Mace. She also learned how to fire a police .38.

After awhile, she began to feel more comfortable in the company of the others around her. "The only thing I noticed was that when somebody would start to tell a gay joke, they'd turn around 'first to see if I was sitting there."

Her superiors would have allowed her to go to Sacramento, the State capitol, to testify on a jobs discrimination bill, but she declined, wanting to finish her training without interruption.

She said she doesn't hold any She took the case to court, and particular grudge against the Superior Court Judge Richard sheriff's department for the way it . Calhoun last August forbade the treated her. "Rainey hasn't apolsheriff from using sexual prefer-ogized," she said, "and I don't ence as a criterion for hiring.

Kreps said she feared that aii the media attention might make her fellow trainees resentful when she finally got into training. "I really expected a lot more negative feedback from them," she said.

really expect him to. He had his reasons and opinions and beliefs and I had my reasons, opinions and beliefs."

Kreps is awaiting a permanent assignment; in the meantime she has been in training at the new County Jail. She said she is glad In general in her first days she she stood up for herself and perkept to herself as much as possihaps made a dent in the wall of ble. She stayed clear of the pracbigotry against gays, but she's tical jokes that cops-in-training also glad that the whole episode traditionally spring on their is behind her now.. ATALIE COLE SANTANA

STEVIE WONDER-EARTH, WINE A FINE MICHAEL JACKSON AMBROSIA

DOOR BROS STRELY CA SPINNERS PEABO BRY SMOKEY ROBINSON DENVECE WILLIAMS GROVER WASHIN ELTON JOAN SRC.

CRUSADERS 25

GINO VANNELL ROBERTA FLACT

GEORGS BENSS

MICHAEL WALDHE SMOKEY ROBINST

BAAR SERENA

MUSIC AND MAGIC

2007 ODORASS

ACKTONG LAYER JAYS 80Z SCAGGS & THE GANG EN DONNA SUMMER

CER

WIND & FIRE SON SPINNERS CHAEL WALDEN

COLE ESTON

FON JR.

MAV STATION.-93 FM WZAK.