I'm a Gay Army Officer—Queer Troops Mt Fight Back

Contents:

• I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
• ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS

I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK

Army Rerve, participat a lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer panel discsn June 24, 2021.

WASHINGTON -- Soldiers reprentg the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer muny virtually celebrated Pri Month Thursday as part of a discsn that marked another step the Army’s growg regnn toward the LGBTQ muny. Every June, Pri Month is a natnal observance that is held to memorate the Stonewall Uprisg Manhattan, New York, 1969, a historic tippg pot wh the gay liberatn movement to empower all LGBTQ Amerins. The directive was a promise measure that barred LGBTQ-intifyg persons om ary service, but also prohibed ary personnel om discrimatg agast, or harassg, closeted gay and lbian troops.

Even 2011, after lawmakers repealed the directive, the repeal only ensured gay, lbian and bisexual troops uld openly serve.

ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS

“I was explicly asked on my [enlistment] forms: Are you gay? Tammy Smh participate a lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer panel discsn June 24, 2021.

“I didn’t know whether the two uld align: me beg gay and servg the Army, ” he said.

But as a gay man, I have been fightg my whole life to enjoy the very privileg I am entled to as both a beholr and protector of them. I was one of few soldiers who joed the service before graduatg high school, but the admistratn at the time, which I believe was homophobic, chose to act as if I never existed bee of my queer hate that I experienced growg up on Long Island was my first enunter wh how others would treat me as a queer soldier. Tammy Smh, the ary’s hight-rankg openly gay officer, me out 2012, she has tried beg an example of livg thentilly while also beg a bean of visibily to other Soldiers and their fai.