The Uned Stat ary stggled wh s stance on gay service members for s prr to the signg of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” 1993 by former Print Bill Clton.,
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GAYS THE MILARY
Twelve years after repeal of the ban on gay and lbian troops servg openly, no one the ary or Veterans Admistratn knows how many vets are still whout the benefs they're owed. * gay single military *
At the time, gay troops weren't allowed the ary. But two years to his enlistment, Steffanis got spotted at a gay bar near his base. "They cut my locker open and found some gay magaz, " he says.
Not only was agast the ary regulatns, gay sex was still illegal Virgia, and many other stat. "They threw me the brig, put me on bread and water — was huiatg --for beg gay, " says Steffanis. " As long as they kept secret, gay and lbian troops uld serve.
* gay single military *
Rumors sprouted about how he wasn't datg women or had reported on others for g homophobic slurs. In the years sce, the tegratn of gay and lbian troops has been herald as a huge succs wh no effects on un hn or bat reads, acrdg to the Pentagon. At the time was uncharted terrory, and Alexanr, by then a litenant lonel, sat a room full of senr officers talkg about how to handle gay service members.
"I said, you know what, 'I'm a gay service member, ' " he said.
Alexanr's first project was wh the San Francis-based veterans chary Swords to Plowshar, tryg to help gay veterans wh other-than-honorable discharg. "I put up flyers all over the Bay Area the gay bars, plac I knew that the LGBTQ veterans would equent. And that's where he met Stephan Steffanis, 20 years sce his discharge om the Navy for beg gay.