After announcing that he planned to wear his official work uniform while marching in this Sunday's annual gay pride parade in West Hollywood, a California correctional officer was told by his superiors that, in fact, he was not allowed to wear his uniform during the parade.

Officials cited a section of the employee manual that forbids wearing the uniform in a situation that may harm the reputation of the correctional facility or system as a whole. However, after the prison guard retained an attorney and announced that he planned to file an employment lawsuit, prison officials relented, giving the guard permission to wear his uniform during the gay pride parade.

The guard is a correctional officer at the California Institution for Women in Chino, California. When he informed his superiors that he wanted to wear his uniform while marching in the parade, officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) denied his request. That decision was based on a section of the CDCR's Department Operation Manual that relates to unauthorized use of the correctional department uniform.

The section at issue bars employees from wearing the uniform in situations that might bring "discredit" to the correctional department, such as "drinking alcohol in public, entering a tavern, gambling hall or nightclub"..."participating in political activities, participating in demonstrations or pickets"..."and engaging in any other action or behavior which reasonable persons would deem inappropriate for uniformed peace officer."

After the guard hired celebrity attorney Gloria Allred and threatened an employment lawsuit, the CDCR relented, stating that the section cited was "outdated" and that it required "careful revision." Officials did clarify, however, that this individual allowance would not "permit staff to wear the official uniform for individual off-duty events," likely indicating that this was a unique situation that would not likely be repeated.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, "Prison officer can march in gay pride parade, in uniform," Marisa Lagos, 8 June 2011