Twelve years after repeal of the ban on gay and lbian troops servg openly, no one the ary or Veterans Admistratn knows how many vets are still whout the benefs they're owed.
Contents:
- A GAY SOLDIER’S STORY OF VIETNAM AND AFTER
- FOR GAY UPL HOPG FOR A ARY BURIAL, THE FIGHT FOR LOVE DON’T END WH ATH
- SUNAK APOLOGIZ FOR HISTORIC TREATMENT OF UK GAY VETERANS
A GAY SOLDIER’S STORY OF VIETNAM AND AFTER
* gay veterans *
At the time, gay troops weren't allowed the ary. But two years to his enlistment, Steffanis got spotted at a gay bar near his base. "They cut my locker open and found some gay magaz, " he says.
FOR GAY UPL HOPG FOR A ARY BURIAL, THE FIGHT FOR LOVE DON’T END WH ATH
After beg oted om the U.S. ary for beg gay, she beme an early fighter for gay rights and a proment figure the nascent L.G.B.T.Q. rights movement. * gay veterans *
Not only was agast the ary regulatns, gay sex was still illegal Virgia, and many other stat.
SUNAK APOLOGIZ FOR HISTORIC TREATMENT OF UK GAY VETERANS
The right to a ary burial for gay spo was guaranteed natnwi wh the legalizatn of same-sex marriage 2015, but only a handful of known same-sex ary upl are buried across US natnal cemeteri. For most, the right to such an honor has been hard won. * gay veterans *
"They threw me the brig, put me on bread and water — was huiatg --for beg gay, " says Steffanis. " As long as they kept secret, gay and lbian troops uld serve. Rumors sprouted about how he wasn't datg women or had reported on others for g homophobic slurs.
In the years sce, the tegratn of gay and lbian troops has been herald as a huge succs wh no effects on un hn or bat reads, acrdg to the Pentagon. At the time was uncharted terrory, and Alexanr, by then a litenant lonel, sat a room full of senr officers talkg about how to handle gay service members.
"I said, you know what, 'I'm a gay service member, ' " he said. Alexanr's first project was wh the San Francis-based veterans chary Swords to Plowshar, tryg to help gay veterans wh other-than-honorable discharg.
Prime Mister Rishi Sunak apologized for the UK’s historic treatment of gay veterans followg a damng report tailg electric shock nversn therapy, sexual asslts and blackmail suffered by personnel over s. * gay veterans *
"I put up flyers all over the Bay Area the gay bars, plac I knew that the LGBTQ veterans would equent. And that's where he met Stephan Steffanis, 20 years sce his discharge om the Navy for beg gay. Before "don't ask, don't tell" was officially repealed for gay, lbian, and bisexual ary personnel 2011, a photo of a male Mare drag uld have land him hot water.