Nov 17, 2007Quickie Link: Brian Paddick: 'Why I Want to Be Mayor'
By vanrozenheim
(UK) - Mr Paddick, the former deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and Britain's most senior openly Gay copper, is undoubtedly the fittest of the three mayoral candidates. Mr Paddick became London's most famous policeman when he pioneered a softly-softly approach to cannabis on the streets of Brixton - people were prosecuted for dealing crack cocaine but not for smoking dope. Mr Paddick is in a long-term relationship now but he said that he struggled for years to come to terms with the idea of being Gay. He was married for five years in the 1980s. "I knew before I was married that I was Gay, but my wife didn't know," he said. "It was a genuine attempt by me to enter honestly into a marriage where I felt that I could overcome my sexuality. Life's a lot easier if you're straight."
