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Fort Worth credited with making big strides in gay relations
Nearly a year after protests erupted over a law enforcement inspection at a gay bar on the near south side, some people think the city has made historic progress in forging ties with the gay community.
Communication between the Police Department and gays is stronger than ever despite the pain that the Rainbow Lounge incident might have initially caused, Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead says.
The bar had been open only a few weeks when police officers and agents from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission suddenly appeared on the night of June 28 to check for possible alcohol-related violations. They arrested five people on suspicion of public intoxication. One man wound up in a hospital with a serious head injury.
Almost immediately, gay advocates were on the Internet and on the streets, angrily questioning why police were at the bar at all and denouncing the force that officers used.
After internal investigations, the alcohol commission fired two agents. Halstead suspended three officers for one to three days.