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

Contents:

• I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
• HISTORY OF GAYS THE MILARY--PICTURES
• GAY ARMY STOCK PHOTOS AND IMAG
• TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY
• NEWLY PUBLISHED PORTRAS DOCUMENT A CENTURY OF GAY MEN LOVE

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

Before "don't ask, don't tell" was officially repealed for gay, lbian, and bisexual ary personnel 2011, a photo of a male Mare drag uld have land him hot water. "Lbian, gay, and bisexual ary personnel had been servg our untry for s whout receivg equal protectn, while transgenr troops are still prohibed om servg openly. 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.

In regnn of Gay Pri Month, the Pentagon released a vio addrs of Defense Secretary Leon Pata thankg gay and lbian service members. The addrs about ne months after the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, banng gay active-duty members om servg openly, was story began December 2010, when Congrs officially repealed the policy, but remaed place until Sept.

HISTORY OF GAYS THE MILARY--PICTURES

More than 200 active duty troops and war veterans wavg small Amerin flags alongsi rabow banners marched San Diego's gay pri para what is believed to be the first time an intifiable group of active duty troops has participated such an event the U. Ary passed a historic tone Tuday wh the repeal of the ban on gays servg openly uniform, endg a prohibn that Print Barack Obama said had forced gay and lbian service members to "lie about who they are. The photo, ma some five months after the repeal of the ary's "don't ask don't tell" policy prohibg gay servicemen om openly acknowledgg their sexualy, is among the first showg a gay active duty serviceman uniform kissg his partner at a homeg.

(AP Photo/David Lewis) (Natnal Journal) Norwich Universy's Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Qutng, and Alli Club display is seen the library for guts and stunts to learn more about their issu and programs at the Norwich Universy Northfield, Vt. Barely six months after the expiratn of the ary's "don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibg gay service members om servg openly, the natn's olst private ary amy is holdg s first gay pri week.

At Wt Pot, the alumni gay advocy group Knights Out was able to hold the first stallment March of what is tend to be an annual dner regnn of gay and lbian graduat and ts. The OutServe Learship Summ is signed to highlight the diversy of gays the ary and the challeng they face, and marks the largt gatherg of gay troops one lotn sce the ban was lifted last month. OutServe is a formerly clanste work of gay and lbian service members that lobbied the Pentagon to support repealg "don't ask, don't tell.

GAY ARMY STOCK PHOTOS AND IMAG

Two women, both active duty sailors the Navy who gave their nam as Nikki and Lisa, kissed as they marched the Gay Pri Para San Diego 2011. Defense Secretary Leon Pata thanked gay ary members for their service, and the Pentagon marked June as gay pri month wh an official salute. Many straight, gay and bisexual men have said that the shared showers, latr and changg areas; the pent-up horns and need for sexual exprsn all make the ary a place that awakens same-sex sire.

TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY

Th, homoerotic iatn ruals allow servicemembers to flict the ab they’ve endured and also tt new members’ willgns to subm to tradn and group-thk whout succumbg to emotn or “stctive” homosexual sir.

Jane Ward, thor of Not Gay: Sex between Straight Whe Men, says that the thkg surroundg the ruals is, “If you endure together this kd of mortifyg, huiatg and embarrassg homosexual act, then that not only toughens up your body, but will also build and strengthen that bond around you.

NEWLY PUBLISHED PORTRAS DOCUMENT A CENTURY OF GAY MEN LOVE

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.

But is ccial to unrstand that you nnot view the photographs through the prism of our morn culture and current nceptn of homosexualy.