First openly gay commander for Alberta Mounties shows how far the RCMP has come

After taking a sustained public beating as a haven for sexists and misogynists, the RCMP is basking in a good-news story about its evolution towards true diversity – the first openly gay woman to head the force in Alberta.

Canada's national police force is still battling lawsuits filed by dozens of current and former members who allege sexual harassment and worse made their working lives a living hell.

But it should be admitted when it comes to homosexuality, the Mounties seem to have come a long way from the days they employed a "fruit machine" that was supposed to ferret out gays on the force and elsewhere in the federal public service in the 1960s.

Gay Mounties even starred in a YouTube video in 2012, part of the It Gets Better campaign to help young homosexuals deal with the stress of coming to terms with their sexual orientation and the prejudice they encounter.

Assistant Commissioner Marianne Ryan is not only the first woman to command the RCMP's K Division in Alberta, she's the first lesbian.

[ Related: B.C. gay and lesbian Mounties featured in RCMP ‘It Gets Better’ video ]

The RCMP did not highlight Ryan's sexual orientation when her appointment was announced last fall, nor in the news release when she assumed command Wednesday.

Ryan herself spoke about it at the formal change-of-command ceremony in Edmonton, holding back tears as she thanked her partner, Lorie Drummond, The Canadian Press reported.

She also said that as a lesbian member of the force, she was always treated with respect.

"I think it's important to be who you are and the RCMP is a very diverse and welcoming organization," she told reporters after the handover. "And after 32 years, I'm very proud to be in the organization because of who we are.

"I'm very proud of who I am and who my partner is and I'm especially proud to be the commanding officer of Alberta."

Ryan, whose new title is deputy commissioner, grew up on a farm near London, Ont., and joined the Mounties in 1982 after graduating from the University of Western Ontario in London. She served in numerous local, national and international posts and had been head of criminal operations in Alberta since 2011, a post RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson described as the No. 2 position at K Division, the Edmonton Journal said.

Ryan now will command more than 4,000 Mounties in Alberta's 112 detachments.

[ Related: RCMP dogged by yet another sexual-harassment suit ]

Ryan said her aims include working more closely with Alberta's aboriginal communities and with the province's other police forces, as well as improving both internal and external communication, the Journal said.

She said her promotion will encourage more women to join the RCMP, CP said. They currently make up about 20 per cent of the force.

"If I can make it, anyone can make it," she said.

"There are many, many women in the RCMP now. When I joined, not so many. But behind me and with me there are a lot of women and there will be a lot more coming in."

Of course, the Mounties still must deal with the baggage of past years.