South Carolina Town Rallies After Lesbian Police Chief Was Fired

Police Chief Crystal Moore was born and raised in Latta, S.C., a tiny farming crossroads, and served as a volunteer police dispatcher while she was still in high school. She became the town's first female officer with a sterling 23-year record on the force — until she was ordered into the mayor's office this month and summarily fired.

 

Mayor Earl Bullard handed Moore a list of seven reprimands citing, among other alleged transgressions, questioning authority and failing to maintain order at a council meeting.

But since the mayor was caught on tape condemning homosexuals, Moore and many Latta residents have come to believe she was fired because she is a lesbian. "I heard that tape and thought, OK, that's the reason," Moore said. "I was fired because of my sexual orientation."

What happened next showed how swiftly attitudes toward gays are shifting, even in a rock-solid Republican county in the Bible Belt.