Dominican Republic: Police chief maintains ban on gay officers

The Dominican Republic’s Chief of Police has said that he does not allow any gay officers.

Police cheif Manuel Castro was responding yesterday to a question from a reporter, who brought up the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in the US.

According to Dominican Today, Castro said the law bans “those types of people” from serving in the police force.

He also called on the reporter to identify any homosexuals already within the police, so that they could be dealt with.

On Wednesday, Defence minister Sigfrido Pared had made similar comments, citing military rules that ban gay people from serving openly.

Homosexuality is legal in the Dominican Republic, but there is no legal protection from discrimination, and the Constitution bans the recognition of same-sex relationships.

The British consulate in the Dominican Republic is one of just 23 around the world where same-sex marriages can now be performed, following secondary same-sex marriage legislation coming into effect last week.

In the US, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel recently said he was ‘open’ to the idea of ending a ban on trans people serving in the military, which gained the backing of the White House.

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell – which prevented gay people from openly serving in the military – was repealed in 2011.

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