At Wt Pot, Hidn Gay Cats Put Spotlight

GAY, BLACK GYMNAST FDS HE N BE HIMSELF AT WT POT
SO WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A GAY CAT AT WT POT THE DAYS?FOUR YEARS AFTER THE REPEAL OF “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,” THE AMY IS A HOTBED OF SWEET DIFFERENCE.BY DAVE CULLENJUNE 30, 2015FROM AP PHOTO/MIKE GROLL.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVESARA EMSLEY ALWAYS KNEW SHE WANTED TO JO THE U.S. ARMY, EVER SCE SHE WAS A SMALL CHILD. “YOU N ASK ANY OF THE KIDS I MA GO THROUGH AN OBSTACLE URSE AT MY SIXTH BIRTHDAY PARTY,” THE WT POT T RECENTLY SAID. SHE DRSED UP AS SOLDIER FOR HALLOWEEN FOR “MANY, MANY YEARS,” AND NEVER PSED TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER THE ARY WOULD LET A GIRL LIKE HER FIGHT.THEN SHE H ADOLCENCE AND BEGAN TO DISVER HER SEXUALY. SHE DIDN’T LIKE WHAT SHE FELT. GIRLS LIKE THAT WERE FORBIDN OM SERVG, SO SHE NIED HER OWN URG. SHE ULDN’T LET THEM STAND THE WAY OF HER DREAM.EMSLEY FIRST WENT TO LLEGE AT VIRGIA TECH, WHERE SHE FALLY ME OUT TO HERSELF AND TSTED OTHERS, BUT HID HER SEXUALY OM HER PEERS THE LLEGE’S R.O.T.C. PROGRAM. BY THEN, THE ARY HAD LIFTED S ABSURD “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” POLICY, BUT EMSLEY STILL FELT WAS TOO DANGERO TO SAY ANYTHG. THEN THE U.S. MILARY AMY AT WT POT ACCEPTED HER. SHE EXPECTED TO DIVE MUCH EPER TO THE CLOSET WHEN SHE ARRIVED LAST SUMMER FOR BASIC TRAG. “I ULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG,” SHE SAID. “I RECEIVED NOTHG BUT SUPPORT OR DIFFERENCE.”FUNNY HOW APPEALG “DIFFERENCE” SOUND. SUCH A SURPRISGLY BETIFUL WORD. AT FIRST GAYS ASKED FOR TOLERANCE, BUT WHAT A GRADG GOAL THAT WAS: WHO THE HELL WANTS TO BE TOLERATED? THEN WE ASKED FOR ACCEPTANCE, BUT MAYBE “DIFFERENCE” WOULD BE BT OF ALL. IT SOUND THAT WAY WHEN EMSLEY SPOKE ABOUT THIS MARCH AT AN OFFICIAL WT POT CEREMONY I ATTEND HONORG GAY TS AND SPECTM, THE AMY’S GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE. INDIFFERENCE. THE ULTIMATE GOAL, THE CHERISHED HAZY OBJECTIVE GAYS HOPE FOR ON SOME DISTANT HORIZON HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFERENCE. WHERE NOBODY GIV A SH. YOU’RE A LBIAN? COOL—WE WON’T BE TERTED THE SAME GUYS.EMSLEY HAD REASON TO FEAR ACCEPTANCE, PECIALLY THE ARY. MUCH OF THE NATN CELEBRATED THE SUPREME COURT MARRIAGE-EQUALY CISN FRIDAY, BUT LARGE SECTORS WERE FUMG. IT’S EASY TO PICTURE SOME OF THE MOST STUBBORN POCKETS OF RISTANCE. IT’S EASY TO PICTURE WT POT RIGHT UP THERE WH AN N.F.L. LOCKER ROOM.WHEN I ENLISTED THE FANTRY, 1983, I DIDN’T MEET A SGLE GAY GUY—NOT EVEN THE MIRROR. I WAS SO SANELY HOMOPHOBIC THAT I CEIVED EVEN MYSELF. TWO GUYS MY PLATOON WERE ACCED OF GETTG TOO CLOSE, AND WAS NOT PRETTY: NO BEATGS, JT OSTRACISM AND HUIATN. AND I WAS FAR TOO TERRIFIED TO FEND THEM.NEARLY 30 YEARS LATER, WH “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” STILL EFFECT, A LITENANT LONEL I’VE BEEN FOLLOWG FOR MY UPG BOOK ON GAY SOLDIERS ME HOME OM AFGHANISTAN. DPE WORSENG PTSD SYMPTOMS, HE ULDN’T SEE AN ARMY SHRK FOR FEAR OF OUTG HIMSELF AND ENDG HIS REER.SCE THE REPEAL OF “THE POLICY,” HOWEVER, I’VE MARVELED AT THE PACE OF CHANGE WH THE ARY. ON THREE TRIPS TO THE PENTAGON AND ANOTHER TO GUANTáNAMO BAY WH THAT LITENANT LONEL, I ULD NOT FD A SOUL WHO SEEMED TO GIVE A SH ABOUT HIS SEXUALY. BUT NOTHG PREPARED ME FOR THE WT POT BANQUET THIS SPRG.INSI A SPAC HALL WH A PANORAMIC VIEW OF A STRATEGIC BEND THE HUDSON RIVER, ABOUT A HUNDRED TS, OFFICERS, AND ALUMNI DRS BLU SAT AROUND TABL SET WH THE GOOD CHA. SPECTM HAS TWO FACULTY AND 40 T MEMBERS, A MIXTURE OF GAY, STRAIGHT, BI, AND UNCID. QUE A FEW FALL TO THAT LAST TEGORY. ONE T AT MY TABLE SCRIBED HIMSELF AS STRAIGHT, BUT THEN LATER NFID HE HAD MSED AROUND WH GUYS. STILL WORKG OUT. FAIR ENOUGH.AWARDS WERE PRENTED TO LEARS THE L.G.B.T. STGGLE, WHO GAVE STIRRG SPEECH, BUT THEY ULDN’T PETE WH THE TS WHO TOOK THE LECTERN TO RELAY THEIR STORI. MAC SIMS, A SOPHOMORE, SAID HE HAD HID HIS SEXUALY FOR A WHILE WHEN HE ARRIVED 2013. THE POLICY HAD END, BUT HE FEARED REPERCSNS. EVENTUALLY, SENSG THE DIFFERENCE, HE TOOK THE PLUNGE AND NEVER REGRETTED . “I E OM GEIA AND I WAS KD OF PROJECTG HOW PEOPLE HAD TREATED ME,” HE SAID.SIMS EXPRSED AMAZEMENT AT THE CHANGE HE’S WNSED A SGLE YEAR. AT LAST YEAR’S SPECTM BANQUET, NEARLY EVERY SPEAKER TALKED ABOUT THEIR STGGL UNR “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,” HE SAID. THIS YEAR, WAS ABOUT THE EASE OF ACCEPTANCE—MOST TS WERE NEVER REQUIRED TO CEIVE. “THAT TIME IS BEHD ,” HE SAID.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHSIMS RELAYED A NVERSATN HE’D JT HAD WH A STRAIGHT LONEL WHO HAD LIVED THROUGH THE POLICY. THE LONEL SAID HE’D KNOWN OF GAYS HIS UNS OVER THE YEARS, BUT THEY ALWAYS HAD TO LIE. THIS MARCH, HE HAD ASKED A T ABOUT HIS SPRG BREAK PLANS, AND THE GUY NONCHALANTLY RPOND, “I’M GOG TO SPA WH MY BOYIEND.” DIDN’T EVEN PSE TO WORRY ABOUT .PROFSOR AARON BELK ACCEPTED THE LEARSHIP AWARD FOR HIS PIVOTAL ROLE OVERTURNG “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL.” BELK IS THE FOUNDG DIRECTOR OF THE PALM CENTER, A THK TANK DITED TO PROMOTG ACCEPTANCE OF GAYS THE ARY. HE GAVE THE TS A SENSE OF JT HOW FAR THEY HAD E. HE SCRIBED A OF SPEECH AT DOZENS OF ARY BAS, WHERE ONE TY MOMENT ON THAT VERY MP STOOD OUT. AFTER HE GAVE A SPEECH AT WT POT AROUND 2003, ONE T WAED FOR EVERYONE ELSE TO FILE OUT. ONLY WHEN WAS SAFE DID THE T APPROACH BELK TO SAY, “THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, SIR.” THEN HE TURNED AND LEFT.“THAT WAS THE EXTENT HE FELT SAFE MUNITG WH ME,” BELK SAID.THERE WERE PLENTY OF HAPPY L.G.B. TS AT THE CEREMONY, BUT ALL THE TS WERE OLR. TRANSGENRS ARE STILL BANNED OM THE U.S. ARY—OR SO THE ARY THKS. THE HEALTHY SHOWG OF TRANS ALUMNI PROVED THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SERVG SECRET FOR YEARS.ACTIVIST ALLYSON ROBSON, A 1994 GRADUATE WHO SERVED AS AN OFFICER THE AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY BEFORE TRANSNG, STOOD UP TO ACCEPT THE COURAGE AWARD, BTOWED ON DIVIDUALS WHO “CHOOSE THE HARR RIGHT OVER THE EASIER WRONG.” (IT’S A LE PARAPHRASED OM THE WT POT CAT PRAYER—NICE TOUCH.) ROBSON WAS ACPANIED BY HER WIFE AND WT POT CLASSMATE, DANYELLE, WH WHOM SHE HAS FOUR CHILDREN.A REARCH STUTE RECENTLY TIMATED THAT 15,500 TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE SERVG THE U.S. ARY RIGHT NOW. DEFENSE SECRETARY ASH CARTER RAISED EYEBROWS FEBARY WHEN HE SAID HE’S “OPEN-MD” WHEN TO LIFTG THE BAN ON TRANSGENR SOLDIERS. BUT A PENTAGON SPOKMAN LATER SAID THERE IS NO “SPECIFIC REVIEW” UNR NSIRATN TO END THE BAN. LAST WEEK, OBAMA CELEBRATED GAY PRI AT THE WHE HOE, AND VED TWO ACTIVE TRANS SERVICE MEMBERS AND FOUR TRANS VETS—A FIRST.AT THE WT POT EVENT, PROFSOR BELK SAID THE PALM CENTER IS NOW TURNG S ATTENTN TO DISMANTLG THE TELLECTUAL UNRPNGS OF THE TRANSGENR BAN. “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” WAS BASED ON THE MYTH THAT GAYS WOULD STROY UN HN, SO OVERTURNG REQUIRED NVCG KEY GENERALS OTHERWISE, BELK SAID. NOW THE CENTER IS HAMMERG AWAY AT THE NOTN THAT TRANSGENRS ARE SOMEHOW MEDILLY UNF. HE SAID HIS TEAM RECENTLY PERSUAD A FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL TO SIGN ON TO A STUDY REFUTG THE CLAIM.IT SURE FELT WELG AT THE BANQUET, BUT I HAD TO WONR HOW GAY-AFFIRMG WAS OUTSI THE BUBBLE OF THAT HALL. WHAT WAS LIKE THE BARS? I DIDN’T HAVE TO WA LONG. ABOUT HALF THE ATTEN, AND MOST OF THE TS, HEAD STRAIGHT TO PATTON’S TAVERN, A BAR RIGHT ON MP. IT WAS SATURDAY NIGHT, AND THE PLACE WAS THUMPG.NOBODY SEEMED TO NOTICE WHEN A HERD OF L.G.B.T.S SCEND. THE BEER FLOWED, THE ENERGY WAS HIGH, AND THE NVERSATN GOT RACY. SOLDIERS MAKG SEX JOK, WHAT A SURPRISE. IT WAS A SMALLISH PLACE, PACKED CLOSE, AND I ULD EASILY OVERHEAR NVERSATNS ALL AROUND . THEY ULD CLEARLY HEAR , CLEARLY TELL WE WERE GAY. AND NOBODY RED. WE DRANK FOR A UPLE HOURS, AND I KEPT AN EYE ON THE CROWDS AROUND THE WHOLE TIME. NO SIGN OF REVULSN, NOT EVEN A RAISED EYEBROW OR CUR STARE. COMPLETE DIFFERENCE. IT FELT WONRFUL.DAVE CULLEN
FIRST ACTIVE-DUTY GAY COUPLE MARRIED AT WT POT
AT WT POT, HIDN GAY CATS PUT SPOTLIGHT
DANIEL AND LARRY LENNOX-CHOATE, FIRST GAY COUPLE MARRIED AT WT POT, ATTACKED NYC
AT WT POT, HIDN GAY CATS PUT SPOTLIGHT
GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

GAY, BLACK GYMNAST FDS HE N BE HIMSELF AT WT POT

A t’s rignatn has turned a spotlight on the amy’s gay culture and revived mp bate on “don’t ask, don’t tell.” * gay at west point *

In the early morng hours of June 28, 1969, rponse to a police raid and vlence toward homosexuals at the Stonewall Inn Manhattan, members of the gay muny spontaneoly began a seri of monstratns om the unjt actns now known as the Stonewall rts. The Stonewall rts proved to be a tippg pot and one of the most important events leadg to the gay liberatn movement the years that followed. The observance of Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr Pri Month is celebrated each year durg the month of June.

The observance started as a sgle day but now ns through June to memorate the events of June 1969 and the work of many the gay muny to achieve equal jtice and equal opportuny for LGBTQ-Pl Amerins. However, the first part is providg a safe social support work for gay members of the Corps of Cats. He grew up Clarksville, Tennsee, which is right outsi of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and the talk of beg gay is non-existent, pecially a ary town.

SO WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A GAY CAT AT WT POT THE DAYS?FOUR YEARS AFTER THE REPEAL OF “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,” THE AMY IS A HOTBED OF SWEET DIFFERENCE.BY DAVE CULLENJUNE 30, 2015FROM AP PHOTO/MIKE GROLL.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVESARA EMSLEY ALWAYS KNEW SHE WANTED TO JO THE U.S. ARMY, EVER SCE SHE WAS A SMALL CHILD. “YOU N ASK ANY OF THE KIDS I MA GO THROUGH AN OBSTACLE URSE AT MY SIXTH BIRTHDAY PARTY,” THE WT POT T RECENTLY SAID. SHE DRSED UP AS SOLDIER FOR HALLOWEEN FOR “MANY, MANY YEARS,” AND NEVER PSED TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER THE ARY WOULD LET A GIRL LIKE HER FIGHT.THEN SHE H ADOLCENCE AND BEGAN TO DISVER HER SEXUALY. SHE DIDN’T LIKE WHAT SHE FELT. GIRLS LIKE THAT WERE FORBIDN OM SERVG, SO SHE NIED HER OWN URG. SHE ULDN’T LET THEM STAND THE WAY OF HER DREAM.EMSLEY FIRST WENT TO LLEGE AT VIRGIA TECH, WHERE SHE FALLY ME OUT TO HERSELF AND TSTED OTHERS, BUT HID HER SEXUALY OM HER PEERS THE LLEGE’S R.O.T.C. PROGRAM. BY THEN, THE ARY HAD LIFTED S ABSURD “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” POLICY, BUT EMSLEY STILL FELT WAS TOO DANGERO TO SAY ANYTHG. THEN THE U.S. MILARY AMY AT WT POT ACCEPTED HER. SHE EXPECTED TO DIVE MUCH EPER TO THE CLOSET WHEN SHE ARRIVED LAST SUMMER FOR BASIC TRAG. “I ULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG,” SHE SAID. “I RECEIVED NOTHG BUT SUPPORT OR DIFFERENCE.”FUNNY HOW APPEALG “DIFFERENCE” SOUND. SUCH A SURPRISGLY BETIFUL WORD. AT FIRST GAYS ASKED FOR TOLERANCE, BUT WHAT A GRADG GOAL THAT WAS: WHO THE HELL WANTS TO BE TOLERATED? THEN WE ASKED FOR ACCEPTANCE, BUT MAYBE “DIFFERENCE” WOULD BE BT OF ALL. IT SOUND THAT WAY WHEN EMSLEY SPOKE ABOUT THIS MARCH AT AN OFFICIAL WT POT CEREMONY I ATTEND HONORG GAY TS AND SPECTM, THE AMY’S GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE. INDIFFERENCE. THE ULTIMATE GOAL, THE CHERISHED HAZY OBJECTIVE GAYS HOPE FOR ON SOME DISTANT HORIZON HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFERENCE. WHERE NOBODY GIV A SH. YOU’RE A LBIAN? COOL—WE WON’T BE TERTED THE SAME GUYS.EMSLEY HAD REASON TO FEAR ACCEPTANCE, PECIALLY THE ARY. MUCH OF THE NATN CELEBRATED THE SUPREME COURT MARRIAGE-EQUALY CISN FRIDAY, BUT LARGE SECTORS WERE FUMG. IT’S EASY TO PICTURE SOME OF THE MOST STUBBORN POCKETS OF RISTANCE. IT’S EASY TO PICTURE WT POT RIGHT UP THERE WH AN N.F.L. LOCKER ROOM.WHEN I ENLISTED THE FANTRY, 1983, I DIDN’T MEET A SGLE GAY GUY—NOT EVEN THE MIRROR. I WAS SO SANELY HOMOPHOBIC THAT I CEIVED EVEN MYSELF. TWO GUYS MY PLATOON WERE ACCED OF GETTG TOO CLOSE, AND WAS NOT PRETTY: NO BEATGS, JT OSTRACISM AND HUIATN. AND I WAS FAR TOO TERRIFIED TO FEND THEM.NEARLY 30 YEARS LATER, WH “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” STILL EFFECT, A LITENANT LONEL I’VE BEEN FOLLOWG FOR MY UPG BOOK ON GAY SOLDIERS ME HOME OM AFGHANISTAN. DPE WORSENG PTSD SYMPTOMS, HE ULDN’T SEE AN ARMY SHRK FOR FEAR OF OUTG HIMSELF AND ENDG HIS REER.SCE THE REPEAL OF “THE POLICY,” HOWEVER, I’VE MARVELED AT THE PACE OF CHANGE WH THE ARY. ON THREE TRIPS TO THE PENTAGON AND ANOTHER TO GUANTáNAMO BAY WH THAT LITENANT LONEL, I ULD NOT FD A SOUL WHO SEEMED TO GIVE A SH ABOUT HIS SEXUALY. BUT NOTHG PREPARED ME FOR THE WT POT BANQUET THIS SPRG.INSI A SPAC HALL WH A PANORAMIC VIEW OF A STRATEGIC BEND THE HUDSON RIVER, ABOUT A HUNDRED TS, OFFICERS, AND ALUMNI DRS BLU SAT AROUND TABL SET WH THE GOOD CHA. SPECTM HAS TWO FACULTY AND 40 T MEMBERS, A MIXTURE OF GAY, STRAIGHT, BI, AND UNCID. QUE A FEW FALL TO THAT LAST TEGORY. ONE T AT MY TABLE SCRIBED HIMSELF AS STRAIGHT, BUT THEN LATER NFID HE HAD MSED AROUND WH GUYS. STILL WORKG OUT. FAIR ENOUGH.AWARDS WERE PRENTED TO LEARS THE L.G.B.T. STGGLE, WHO GAVE STIRRG SPEECH, BUT THEY ULDN’T PETE WH THE TS WHO TOOK THE LECTERN TO RELAY THEIR STORI. MAC SIMS, A SOPHOMORE, SAID HE HAD HID HIS SEXUALY FOR A WHILE WHEN HE ARRIVED 2013. THE POLICY HAD END, BUT HE FEARED REPERCSNS. EVENTUALLY, SENSG THE DIFFERENCE, HE TOOK THE PLUNGE AND NEVER REGRETTED . “I E OM GEIA AND I WAS KD OF PROJECTG HOW PEOPLE HAD TREATED ME,” HE SAID.SIMS EXPRSED AMAZEMENT AT THE CHANGE HE’S WNSED A SGLE YEAR. AT LAST YEAR’S SPECTM BANQUET, NEARLY EVERY SPEAKER TALKED ABOUT THEIR STGGL UNR “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,” HE SAID. THIS YEAR, WAS ABOUT THE EASE OF ACCEPTANCE—MOST TS WERE NEVER REQUIRED TO CEIVE. “THAT TIME IS BEHD ,” HE SAID.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHSIMS RELAYED A NVERSATN HE’D JT HAD WH A STRAIGHT LONEL WHO HAD LIVED THROUGH THE POLICY. THE LONEL SAID HE’D KNOWN OF GAYS HIS UNS OVER THE YEARS, BUT THEY ALWAYS HAD TO LIE. THIS MARCH, HE HAD ASKED A T ABOUT HIS SPRG BREAK PLANS, AND THE GUY NONCHALANTLY RPOND, “I’M GOG TO SPA WH MY BOYIEND.” DIDN’T EVEN PSE TO WORRY ABOUT .PROFSOR AARON BELK ACCEPTED THE LEARSHIP AWARD FOR HIS PIVOTAL ROLE OVERTURNG “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL.” BELK IS THE FOUNDG DIRECTOR OF THE PALM CENTER, A THK TANK DITED TO PROMOTG ACCEPTANCE OF GAYS THE ARY. HE GAVE THE TS A SENSE OF JT HOW FAR THEY HAD E. HE SCRIBED A OF SPEECH AT DOZENS OF ARY BAS, WHERE ONE TY MOMENT ON THAT VERY MP STOOD OUT. AFTER HE GAVE A SPEECH AT WT POT AROUND 2003, ONE T WAED FOR EVERYONE ELSE TO FILE OUT. ONLY WHEN WAS SAFE DID THE T APPROACH BELK TO SAY, “THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, SIR.” THEN HE TURNED AND LEFT.“THAT WAS THE EXTENT HE FELT SAFE MUNITG WH ME,” BELK SAID.THERE WERE PLENTY OF HAPPY L.G.B. TS AT THE CEREMONY, BUT ALL THE TS WERE OLR. TRANSGENRS ARE STILL BANNED OM THE U.S. ARY—OR SO THE ARY THKS. THE HEALTHY SHOWG OF TRANS ALUMNI PROVED THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SERVG SECRET FOR YEARS.ACTIVIST ALLYSON ROBSON, A 1994 GRADUATE WHO SERVED AS AN OFFICER THE AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY BEFORE TRANSNG, STOOD UP TO ACCEPT THE COURAGE AWARD, BTOWED ON DIVIDUALS WHO “CHOOSE THE HARR RIGHT OVER THE EASIER WRONG.” (IT’S A LE PARAPHRASED OM THE WT POT CAT PRAYER—NICE TOUCH.) ROBSON WAS ACPANIED BY HER WIFE AND WT POT CLASSMATE, DANYELLE, WH WHOM SHE HAS FOUR CHILDREN.A REARCH STUTE RECENTLY TIMATED THAT 15,500 TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE SERVG THE U.S. ARY RIGHT NOW. DEFENSE SECRETARY ASH CARTER RAISED EYEBROWS FEBARY WHEN HE SAID HE’S “OPEN-MD” WHEN TO LIFTG THE BAN ON TRANSGENR SOLDIERS. BUT A PENTAGON SPOKMAN LATER SAID THERE IS NO “SPECIFIC REVIEW” UNR NSIRATN TO END THE BAN. LAST WEEK, OBAMA CELEBRATED GAY PRI AT THE WHE HOE, AND VED TWO ACTIVE TRANS SERVICE MEMBERS AND FOUR TRANS VETS—A FIRST.AT THE WT POT EVENT, PROFSOR BELK SAID THE PALM CENTER IS NOW TURNG S ATTENTN TO DISMANTLG THE TELLECTUAL UNRPNGS OF THE TRANSGENR BAN. “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” WAS BASED ON THE MYTH THAT GAYS WOULD STROY UN HN, SO OVERTURNG REQUIRED NVCG KEY GENERALS OTHERWISE, BELK SAID. NOW THE CENTER IS HAMMERG AWAY AT THE NOTN THAT TRANSGENRS ARE SOMEHOW MEDILLY UNF. HE SAID HIS TEAM RECENTLY PERSUAD A FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL TO SIGN ON TO A STUDY REFUTG THE CLAIM.IT SURE FELT WELG AT THE BANQUET, BUT I HAD TO WONR HOW GAY-AFFIRMG WAS OUTSI THE BUBBLE OF THAT HALL. WHAT WAS LIKE THE BARS? I DIDN’T HAVE TO WA LONG. ABOUT HALF THE ATTEN, AND MOST OF THE TS, HEAD STRAIGHT TO PATTON’S TAVERN, A BAR RIGHT ON MP. IT WAS SATURDAY NIGHT, AND THE PLACE WAS THUMPG.NOBODY SEEMED TO NOTICE WHEN A HERD OF L.G.B.T.S SCEND. THE BEER FLOWED, THE ENERGY WAS HIGH, AND THE NVERSATN GOT RACY. SOLDIERS MAKG SEX JOK, WHAT A SURPRISE. IT WAS A SMALLISH PLACE, PACKED CLOSE, AND I ULD EASILY OVERHEAR NVERSATNS ALL AROUND . THEY ULD CLEARLY HEAR , CLEARLY TELL WE WERE GAY. AND NOBODY RED. WE DRANK FOR A UPLE HOURS, AND I KEPT AN EYE ON THE CROWDS AROUND THE WHOLE TIME. NO SIGN OF REVULSN, NOT EVEN A RAISED EYEBROW OR CUR STARE. COMPLETE DIFFERENCE. IT FELT WONRFUL.DAVE CULLEN

Plenge who showed him that is possible to be succsful, be a good t and an excellent officer while “balancg beg gay and beg a Soldier. “I’m very proud to be a gay t, ” he add. Plenge, the officer--charge of the Spectm club, followed Rivera at the microphone to get people to the thought procs of where Wt Pot and the Army are wh alg wh the gay muny wh s ranks.

Plenge wanted to empower people to ask qutns and learn a ltle b more about the gay muny for the future, whether ’s at Wt Pot or the Army, and help make a difference someone’s life. You should be thankful you’re not gettg kicked out, ” or “The only reason Plenge wants to help wh the Scuba team is bee he wants to see ts shirtls, ” while also receivg anti-gay and anti-transgenr mem. Atten shouted out thgs like, “Taste mic, ” “Stereotypg, ” “Queerbag, ” terms of an all-boy band and how may appeal culture and associatns to the gay muny.

FIRST ACTIVE-DUTY GAY COUPLE MARRIED AT WT POT

He would later go to his battaln manr’s office to speak and he opened up to him about beg gay but left out the breakup that left him tatters. “I didn’t even know where he land on his views of gay rights, gay marriage, any of that, but I felt like I uld belong there and be me for the first time my ary reer – that was powerful.

Over the next few years, a uple of lears played a big part Plenge assiatg easier to his reer while eventually beg openly gay. Ty Seidule, former History Department head, brought up somethg related to homosexualy the ary.

DANIEL AND LARRY LENNOX-CHOATE, FIRST GAY COUPLE MARRIED AT WT POT, ATTACKED NYC

The qutns lved eper to many of Plenge’s experienc, how to make Wt Pot better for the gay muny, how to empathize wh those who have been discrimated agast, how to enurage future lears to be themselv and the last qutn which took a ep dive to LGBTQ-Pl members who were kicked out of the Army or USMA graduat who may not have had the support they need years ago and embracg them back to the fold when they once didn’t feel wanted by the Army or the amy. I don’t know if I’d have the urage … the urage to be the first person ever posted on social media at Wt Pot (for beg gay) or to be a t the club or to be a lear the club, ” Plenge add. I also happen to be gay.