Navy yeoman remembers his time as a gay serviceman the 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' era : NPR

Contents:

• NAVY YEOMAN REMEMBERS HIS TIME AS A GAY SERVICEMAN THE 'DON'T ASK DON'T TELL' ERA
• TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY

NAVY YEOMAN REMEMBERS HIS TIME AS A GAY SERVICEMAN THE 'DON'T ASK DON'T TELL' ERA

Navy yeoman remembers his time as a gay serviceman the 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' era Navy Yeoman Jab Tate remembers his time as a gay serviceman durg the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" era, which kept openly LGBTQ service members om servg the ary.,. Navy Yeoman Jab Tate remembers his time as a gay serviceman durg the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" era, which kept openly LGBTQ service members om servg the ary. The are the voic explag what has been like to be a gay man1 the Amerin ary over the prev seventy or so years, om World War II veterans their late eighti to young servicemen on active duty.

Life Today as a Gay ServicemanHow we got here: In 1992, many people thought that the discrimatn was nearly over. "I remember beg the Castro, " says John Forrett (army rerve, 1987–99), "and watchg the TV at a bar wh some iends, watchg Al Gore and Bill Clton swearg that if they beme the tag team for Ameri they were gog to get rid of the harassment of gays and lbians servg the ary. " Gay people were allowed the ary but only as long as they didn’t reveal their sexualy; to facilate this, all members of the ary were also prohibed om quirg about anyone’s possible orientatn.

TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY

Gay people were only acceptable, effect, to the gree to which they uld succsfully masquera as nongay. Servicemen were advised that until then the policy would still apply, and that they uld potentially face s sanctns if they intify themselv publicly as gay. ’ "Air Force #1: "Two of my iends were disvered, both officers—’s a long and arduo procs for an officer to get kicked out for beg gay.

"Air Force #2 (senr airman, three years): "No one at my job would ever, ever spect that I was gay at all.