Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do?

If what they see sometimes is the darker side of gay life, it's because they aren't spending time at Target watching gay people buy towel racks.

"They" are the Washington D.C. Metro Police Department's Gay & Lesbian Liason Unit, the only one of its kind in the nation, as profiled in a Page One story in today's Post. Sgt. Brett Parson and his squad serve the nation's sixth largest population of gay citizens in a city where perhaps 10-12 percent of the population is homosexual. Anne Hull's lengthy article focuses on the unique challenges of traditional law enforcement amongst a community that often deals in "the half-truths and complexities of sexuality."

With its spotlight squarely on the burly Parsons, the WaPo feature story makes a nice bookend to last week's MW cover story of "the sheriff of gay Washington." What's next for the big guy, a run for mayor?

Update: Wonkette has a take.