Gays serve in militaries around the world, although several countries (including the U.S. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy) prohibit service by openly gay soldiers and sailors.
New York Times, Posted: 8/30/2010, 1:25 PM Code words, secret societies, covert meetings, fake identities: these are tools that a certain set of cadets learn here at the United States Military Academy at West Point. These cadets are not spies or moles. They are gay, and they exist largely in the shadows of this granite institution known for producing presidents and generals, where staying closeted is essential to avoid discharge under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. “The most important thing I’ve learned here is how to be a good actor,” said one gay male cadet, who grew up in Philadelphia and is in his fourth year at the academy. The resignation this month of Katherine Miller, a top cadet who blogged anonymously about her lesbianism, has turned a spotlight on the hidden gay culture here and revived debate on campus about “don’t ask, don’t tell,” at a time when Washington is also focused on the issue. Ms. Miller, who wrote under the name “Private Second Class Citizen” about enduring gay slurs and faking a heterosexual dating history, is transferring to Yale University this fall and has become something of a media celebrity, appearing on “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC and on ABC News. Interviews with three gay cadets, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because revealing their identities could result in expulsion, as well as conversations with Ms. Miller and several gay alumni, painted a portrait of a vibrant, if tiny, gay underground at West Point. The hiding begins on Day 1: new cadets must sign a document acknowledging that revealing one’s homosexuality can lead to discharge, as can demonstrating “a propensity to engage in homosexual acts.”
Stars and Stripes, Posted: 8/26/2010, 1:01 PM A leading advocacy group for gay and lesbian troops and veterans has blasted a Defense Department survey sent to military spouses about how they feel about repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Servicemembers United released a memo Monday that says the survey is based on the assumption that repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” will hurt family readiness. The group also took issue with one question that asks spouses if they would move if a gay or lesbian servicemember lived in on-base housing with his or her partner. “The question does not belong in a survey on the potential impact of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to begin with because repeal does not create federal recognition of same-sex marriages – a requirement for qualification for on-base family housing,” the memo says. “Troops with partners, girlfriends, or boyfriends, even if long-term, are not given on-base housing. This question is both misleading of the survey taker, in that it suggests that repeal would permit gay and lesbian couples to live in on-base housing, and wholly unnecessary in a survey on the impact of repeal, because this scenario would not be a result of repeal.” In a news release, Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, said the Defense Department should be more concerned with “real” family readiness issues such as “excessive deployments, inadequate mental health screenings and support, [and] low troop pay.” The Defense Department’s response to Servicemembers United did not address the group’s grievances. “We sent out 150,000 surveys on Aug 20th," said department spokeswoman Cynthia Smith in an e-mail. “These surveys are confidential and spouses have until Sept. 27th to complete and return them.”
Associated Press (AP), Posted: 8/17/2010, 12:41 PM An Idaho aviator has reached an agreement with the U.S. Air Force to temporarily block his discharge under the "don't ask, don't tell" law that bars openly gay and lesbian military members from service. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network says an agreement reached Monday prevents the Air Force from discharging Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach until a judge can consider its request for a court order to stop his ouster from the military. The network, an advocacy group seeking equal treatment of gays in the military, is representing Fehrenbach in his legal fight to keep his job and last week filed a federal lawsuit in Idaho. The lawsuit asks for an order to stop Fehrenbach's discharge until a full hearing can be scheduled. It also wants the law declared unconstitutional.
Seattle Times, Posted: 8/12/2010, 11:20 AM A gay officer at Idaho's Mountain Home Air Force Base sued Wednesday to block his dismissal and overturn the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach asked a federal court in Boise to strike down the 1993 law that mandates "don't ask, don't tell." Fehrenbach, with 19 years in the Air Force, learned last week that the Air Force Personnel Board recommended his discharge to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley. His lawsuit says his admission of homosexual conduct was obtained under "coercive circumstances" and that he spoke to clear himself of false allegations of rape. Fehrenbach, who lives in Boise, was a weapons-systems officer on F-15Es who served in Iraq and won nine Air Medals, including one for valor. He was questioned by Boise Police and the Air Force in May 2008 after a Boise man alleged he was raped by Fehrenbach. After that, he was grounded, but he remains at Mountain Home Air Force Base, where he is assistant director of operations in the 366th Operations Support Squadron. Both agencies determined the rape complaint was unfounded and the men had engaged in consensual sex. "Don't ask, don't tell" allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military if they don't engage in, or attempt to engage in, homosexual acts. They also may not state they are homosexual. In turn, the military doesn't question personnel about homosexuality.
New York Times, Posted: 8/9/2010, 12:24 PM He spent part of his childhood with his father in the arid plains of central Oklahoma, where classmates made fun of him for being a geek. He spent another part with his mother in a small, remote corner of southwest Wales, where classmates made fun of him for being gay. Then he joined the Army, where, friends said, his social life was defined by the need to conceal his sexuality under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and he wasted brainpower fetching coffee for officers. But it was around two years ago, when Pfc. Bradley Manning came here to visit a man he had fallen in love with, that he finally seemed to have found a place where he fit in, part of a social circle that included politically motivated computer hackers and his boyfriend, a self-described drag queen. So when his military career seemed headed nowhere good, Private Manning, 22, turned increasingly to those friends for moral support. And now some of those friends say they wonder whether his desperation for acceptance — or delusions of grandeur — may have led him to disclose the largest trove of government secrets since the Pentagon Papers. “I would always try to make clear to Brad that he had a promising future ahead of him,” said Daniel J. Clark, one of those Cambridge friends. “But when you’re young and you’re in his situation, it’s hard to tell yourself things are going to get better, especially in Brad’s case, because in his past, things didn’t always get better.” Blond and barely grown up, Private Manning worked as an intelligence analyst and was based east of Baghdad. He is suspected of disclosing more than 150,000 diplomatic cables, more than 90,000 intelligence reports on the war in Afghanistan and one video of a military helicopter attack — all of it classified. Most of the information was given to WikiLeaks.org, which posted the war reports after sharing them with three publications, including The New York Times.
Boston Phoenix, Posted: 8/3/2010, 10:11 AM Buried in the last few paragraphs of a long story, the UK's Daily Mail quotes a friend of BRADLEY MANNING thusly: "‘He was different from other kids. He was interested in girls but he could never really get them to be interested in him. When he was 13, he told me he was gay.’" Over the weekend, the British Daily Telegraph described Manning as "openly homosexual," and delved into his Facebook account to retrieve a status update referring to "an ex-boyfriend" as well as a photo of Manning, at a gay-rights rally, holding a placard that demands LGBT rights on the battlefield. The American mainstream media has carefully tip-toed around the question of Manning's sexuality -- although blogs including BOING BOING have for at least a month openly asked whether the transcript of Manning's IM chats (the ones that got him arrested by the army on suspicion of delivering tens of thousands of secret documents to WikiLeaks) indicate that Manning is transgendered. The same Boing Boing post questions whether Manning's sexuality led to his downfall, via his trust of the Boston native and famous hacker in whom Manning confided, and who later turned Manning in to the Feds.
San Diego Gay & Lesbian News, Posted: 7/31/2010, 4:12 PM Two gay groups will be on opposite sides of a protest at the Manchester Grand Hyatt on Saturday afternoon. The LGBT group called Sleep With The Right People! Support Hotel Workers! will be demonstrating from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. tomorrow outside the hotel at 1 Market Place in downtown San Diego. The object of their scorn? GOProud, a national organization of gay conservatives and their allies, which is hosting a “Don’t Treat On Us” reception at the hotel featuring Fox News Channel analyst Tammy Bruce." Sleep” organizers via Facebook accuse GOProud of being the first LGBT group to violate the boycott of the Manchester Grand Hyatt, which was called after owner Doug Manchester poured big money into the “Yes on Prop. 8” campaign to rescind marriage equality in California.
Stars and Stripes, Posted: 7/30/2010, 5:47 PM Officials at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network are demanding the Secretary of the Navy step in before a senior enlisted sailor dubbed the ringleader of the hazing scandal at the Navy’s Military Working Dog Division in Bahrain is allowed to retire quietly and at full pay. Last fall Senior Chief Petty Officer Michael Toussaint was removed from his leadership post within Naval Special Warfare Group 2 and forced into a retirement track after a two-year investigation confirmed 93 instances of hazing and sex crimes inside the canine unit during Toussaint’s tenure as commander, from 2004 to 2006. That included crimes against former Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Rocha, who was suspected to be gay and was forced by superiors to simulate oral sex on other men. In February a retirement board recommended that Toussaint retire this summer at full pay in his current rank, which he was promoted to following his time in Bahrain. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus at the time told SLDN (a gay rights advocacy group) that he supported both the administrative action taken against Toussaint and the retirement recommendation. But this week, with Toussaint's separation appearing imminent, SLDN legal director Aaron Tax called that insulting: "The Navy appears to be sending the message that a superior may abuse those in his or her chain of command with few repercussions.”
The Advocate, Posted: 7/30/2010, 6:33 AM As the days dwindle before the congressional August recess commences August 9, “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal advocates are angling for a firm commitment from Senate majority leader Harry Reid for a September vote on the defense authorization bill, to which the repeal measure is attached. “We are asking of the majority leader the same thing that we believe Senator [Carl] Levin is asking, and that is to schedule the defense authorization bill shortly after the August recess,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. “We would like him to make that announcement before the Senate leaves town at the end of next week.” A spokesman for Reid said the majority leader does anticipate a vote being taken in September but declined to give a definite date. “We expect to have a vote in September,” said Jim Manley. Alex Nicholson, executive director of the gay veterans group Servicemembers United, said the vote’s timing is at Reid’s discretion and expressed frustration at the delay. "Senator Reid, in his capacity as the Senate majority leader, has the power to bring the defense authorization bill — with DADT repeal included — to the floor of the Senate for debate and a vote,” Nicholson said. “Senator Reid did not do that in July, despite the fact that Senator Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, confirmed the authorization bill is 100% ready to go.”
Orange County Register, Posted: 7/23/2010, 11:19 AM Lt. Daniel Choi, a gay activist soldier and Tustin High School graduate, received notice Thursday morning that he's been honorably discharged from the Army National Guard under "Don't Ask Don't Tell." Choi, an Iraq war veteran, was discharged from the New York Army National Guard, calling the announcement "infuriating and painful." The West Point graduate announced that he is gay on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC more than a year ago. Since then, Choi has been waiting for military officials to decide whether he would be discharged. Choi would have had to deny his statements to stay in the Army National Guard, he said. He did his first stint in Iraq in 2003 and became a platoon leader in the National Guard in 2008. "All you can do is say, 'That's not me,' or that I was lying, or say that I said that at the time, but I apologize and I'm not gay," Choi told the Orange County Register. "The first thing I said was, 'I'm gay, and I have a boyfriend, not a girlfriend. You don't get into trouble for lying, only for telling the truth." In a statement on Thursday, Choi said, "From the first moment we put on our nation's uniform and swore our solemn oath, we committed ourselves to fight for freedom and justice; to defend our constitution and put the needs of others before our own. This is not an oath that I intend to abandon. Doing so at such a time, or remaining silent when our family and community members are fired or punished for who they truly are would be an unequivocal moral dereliction that tarnishes the honor of the uniform and insults the meaning of America." "Our fight is just beginning," Choi told his Twitter followers.
Politico, Posted: 5/26/2010, 3:01 PM
QUICK LOOK:By MAJ. PETER KEES HAMSTRA & LEIF OHLSON & LT. COM. CRAIG JONES: As openly gay officers with decades of combined service experience in the British, Dutch and Swedish armed forces, we are closely watching U.S. developments around the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell." We were just in Washington at a Brookings Institution/Palm Center conference, where representatives from the world's militaries discussed this matter. Though we maintain a respect for the American people, their military and their political process, we share a sense of puzzlement — and a sort of shock — at the rhetoric we heard surrounding "Don't ask, don't tell." As Congress prepares to vote on this, we hope our international perspective can be of some value. The U.S. armed forces are the world's most formidable, with an unrivaled might and a readiness to accept worldwide deployments to engage in a range of military conflicts that no other nation views with the same sort of international responsibility. Yet it is also true that U.S. military power depends, in most cases, on an international coalition of partners. Members of Congress don't always seem to appreciate that America's allies are put off in serious ways by the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. For example, units of our own or other armed forces have refused to deploy in some joint operations with U.S. forces because gay service members would not work with the Americans — for fear of hostile reactions.
Washington Post, Posted: 4/20/2010, 8:03 PM
QUICK LOOK:BY JONATHAN CAPEHART: President Obama flew out to California to help the sagging reelection effort of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and came face-to-face with frustration over efforts to repeal the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military. He was interrupted a couple of times during his rah-rah for Boxer, in fact. Now, here's my frustration: These same protesters don't bother to interrupt fundraisers and other events for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). With Obama out, loud and proud in his support for repeal of "don't ask don't tell," those congressional leaders are the ones who hold the key to it actually happening. And they are content to let Obama take all the heat. Hammering away at Obama on this issue is understandable. During the campaign, he promised to do away with the law that hurts the nation's military effectiveness. (I mean, how effective can the U.S. be in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the war on terror if it's booting desperately needed Arab linguists simply because of who they are?) But I must remind my gay brothers and sisters that Obama is not king. Don't ask don't tell is an act of Congress. And it will take Congress to permanently do away with it. Gay men and lesbians are right to hold Obama's feet to the fire on this. But by continuing to ignore Pelosi and Reid, not only are they giving them a pass the leaders don't deserve, they are also slowing down a resolution to an honorable cause.
Posted: 3/26/2010, 12:06 PM
QUICK LOOK:It's been one year since Lt. Dan Choi came out of the closet very publicly to challenge the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy on gays in the military. An Arab linguist now facing discharge, Choi was back in the headlines last week when he showed up at a Human Rights Campaign rally featuring comedienne Kathy Griffin and, according to some, "hijacked" the event by asking those present to join him for a short two-block walk to the White House, where he handcuffed himself to the fence in a protest of civil disobedience. He spent the night in jail but was back out protesting over the weekend, joining the LGBT contingent in the large immigration rights rally on the National Mall. One year after it all started, Choi went back on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show to talk about the latest developments in DADT repeal.
08/29/2010Anonymous:
Commenting on Story Topic
ItMoncler.com is a professional online saler of Moncler Jackets. We also offer free of charge all the delivery of Moncler Jackets. If you are interested in Moncler, if you want to buy Moncler Jackets with the best price and service, please do not hesitate to clip and have a look at out Itmonlcer.com shop and freely contact us at any time. We will give you warm and effective suggestions to choose the suitable one for you.You can get cheap and discount Women Moncler Jackets, Men Moncler Jackets, Moncler Coats, Moncler Vests, Monlcer Boots, Moncler Bags and so on.Our after-sales service: we will deal with all kinds of customer complaints as soon as we can, and respond without avoiding any problems. Anything that our customers complaint about is the deficiency of our work. "Customers First" is the intension of our service.
Welcome to the soccer uniform shop. Get cheap Soccer Uniforms, Soccer Jerseys, Soccer Shirts form here.
08/29/2010kevinroy:
Commenting on Story Topic
ItMoncler.com is a professional online saler of Moncler Jackets. We also offer free of charge all the delivery of Moncler Jackets. If you are interested in Moncler, if you want to buy Moncler Jackets with the best price and service, please do not hesitate to clip and have a look at out Itmonlcer.com shop and freely contact us at any time. We will give you warm and effective suggestions to choose the suitable one for you.You can get cheap and discount Women Moncler Jackets, Men Moncler Jackets, Moncler Coats, Moncler Vests, Monlcer Boots, Moncler Bags and so on.Our after-sales service: we will deal with all kinds of customer complaints as soon as we can, and respond without avoiding any problems. Anything that our customers complaint about is the deficiency of our work. "Customers First" is the intension of our service.
Welcome to the soccer uniform shop. Get cheap Soccer Uniforms, Soccer Jerseys, Soccer Shirts form here.
08/29/2010Anonymous:
Commenting on Story Topic
ItMoncler.com is a professional online saler of Moncler Jackets. We also offer free of charge all the delivery of Moncler Jackets. If you are interested in Moncler, if you want to buy Moncler Jackets with the best price and service, please do not hesitate to clip and have a look at out Itmonlcer.com shop and freely contact us at any time. We will give you warm and effective suggestions to choose the suitable one for you.You can get cheap and discount Women Moncler Jackets, Men Moncler Jackets, Moncler Coats, Moncler Vests, Monlcer Boots, Moncler Bags and so on.Our after-sales service: we will deal with all kinds of customer complaints as soon as we can, and respond without avoiding any problems. Anything that our customers complaint about is the deficiency of our work. "Customers First" is the intension of our service.
Welcome to the soccer uniform shop. Get cheap Soccer Uniforms, Soccer Jerseys, Soccer Shirts form here.
08/22/2010NIKE NINJA:
Commenting on Story Topic
sell best oakley sunglass Oakley sunglasses , sale up to 70% off, free and fast shipping. You can find your oakley sunglass nike rift prix, avis et discounts. No.1 shop. * Nike Ninja* NIKE RIFT Our products include Nike Air Force, *AIR RIFT Nike Air Rift, Nike Air Max, Nike Shox and more.
(24)
(451)
