WATCH: Gay Army Ranger Wants Katy Perry To Be His Date For The Ball - Queerty

Contents:

• I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
• RANGER SCHOOL IS “GAY”
• WATCH: GAY ARMY RANGER WANTS KATY PERRY TO BE HIS DATE FOR THE BALL
• I THOUGHT I COULD SERVE AS AN OPENLY GAY MAN THE ARMY. THEN CAME THE DEATH THREATS.
• FORD ACTUALLY BUILT A 'VERY GAY RAPTOR' RPONSE TO AN TER TROLL

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.

RANGER SCHOOL IS “GAY”

Even 2011, after lawmakers repealed the directive, the repeal only ensured gay, lbian and bisexual troops uld openly serve.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

WATCH: GAY ARMY RANGER WANTS KATY PERRY TO BE HIS DATE FOR THE BALL

“I didn’t know whether the two uld align: me beg gay and servg the Army, ” he said. Naval Hospal Rota Spa posted a Pri graphic created by the Milary Health System, and said, “The Defense Health Agency (DHA) regniz the work of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr Amerins tablishg a ee natn that valu diversy, a val ponent of a ee natn. 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.

Rob Biro, jt one was top-of-md when he joed 2009: How he would manage to serve his untry whout his inty as a gay man beg a hurdle. ” This year marks the fifth anniversary of the repeal of the so-lled Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, or DADT, which rtricted out lbian, gay and bisexual men and women om servg the U.

I THOUGHT I COULD SERVE AS AN OPENLY GAY MAN THE ARMY. THEN CAME THE DEATH THREATS.

As we honor our fallen service members gay and straight this May, signs abound of a vastly improved environment for gays the ary. Meanwhile, The Geia Voice uld fd prec few enlisted service men and women willg to go on the rerd wh their orientatn – evince that while gone, the ary’s longstandg stigma agast homosexualy is far om fotten.

” Coleman earng a vice printial nod for beg the first out class print at the Uned Stat Milary Amy; last fall, gay sger/songwrer Steve Grand rted a gay mare to the annual Mare Corps ball. Fanng beme the first openly gay Secretary of the Army.

Friends were ncerned: Biro was over 30 years old, clearly gay and enterg a regiment known for machismo and a at-like atmosphere. “Basilly, the Army as a whole didn’t really have a problem wh openly gay troops, but the only part of the Army that did was Ranger Regiment, ” he said, rellg Pentagon surveys he read before enlistg. But Biro said he heard his fair share of gay slurs, and even earned a not-so-iendly name om a few particularly persistent bulli.

FORD ACTUALLY BUILT A 'VERY GAY RAPTOR' RPONSE TO AN TER TROLL

“They lled me ‘Ranger Girl, ’” said Biro, who said thgs got worse the months ially followg the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, before higher-ups ma clear that anti-gay bullyg would be punished.