Co-Facilitator: The 2SLGBTQ+ Focused Peer Support Workshops
Peer Support Specialist

My name is Robert Chevalier. I am the LGBTQ2S+ Liaison Officer for the Toronto Police Service. I have been a Toronto Police Officer since 2007.

I grew up in Windsor, Ontario. I have 2 older brothers and an older sister. Growing up I heard from many different people that being gay was less than. That odd things and odd people were “so gay” and that to be a “Queer” was something no one wanted to be called.

When I was 12, I joined army cadets, and I loved it! I spent the next 7 years of my life eating, breathing and sleeping army cadets.

I went to all the summer camps, and when I was 18, I had the chance to do the Basic Parachutist course with the Canadian military. This is how I developed such a strong interest in Policing. I completed a co- op placement at the Windsor Police Service, took Police foundations at St. Clair College in Windsor, and also became a Windsor Police Auxiliary Constable.

By that time, I had come out as gay, luckily with the love and support from my family…. But I will be honest and tell you that those old feelings of being less than, and that being gay was something to keep to myself stuck with me.

I remember when I was in high school during my co-op placement the Detective I reported to asked me to “tone it down” and made comments that being openly gay in the workplace wasn’t professional. At that time, I took those comments as genuine advice and I in fact toned it down.

I was never successful in my application to Windsor Police, but luckily my determination would soon pay off. When I heard that the Toronto Police were hiring, I drove the 4 hours to my interviews, and I got the job!

The first few years of my career I was solely focused on proving that I could do this job, and that I could do this job well!! I worked in the Warrant office, the Criminal Investigations Bureau, the Fugitive Squad, and the Neighbourhood Office.

Today I am proudly referred to as Sergeant, I would like to think I succeeded.

As a by-product of that success, I gained something else, Confidence, Compassion, and a drive to make my community a safer and better place to live. This is why I’m here today.

I can now say that I am a proud gay Police Officer, and I can use my experience to help others who may be struggling.