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

gay couples in the army

What is like to be a same-sex uple the ary? Is any different than beg married to someone of the oppose sex? No, not really. But there are some thgs that I've noticed durg my time as an openly gay Mare Corps spoe and veteran. I was the Mare Corps when Don't Ask, Don't Tell was still affect. But once was overturned, we actually had a Mare check- as  married to another male. When that happened, a Staff Sgt. ma a horrible ment -- but my mandg officer took actn and that Staff Sgt. got huge trouble.

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FOR GAY UPL HOPG FOR A ARY BURIAL, THE FIGHT FOR LOVE DON’T END WH ATH

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 couples in the army *

Sce 2011, openly gay, lbian and bisexual men and women have been permted to serve the ary. It wasn’t until 1982 that the ary enacted a policy explicly banng gay men and lbians om their ranks.

And the early 1940s, was classified as a mental illns, disqualifyg gay men and lbians om service.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A GAY MILARY COUPLE?

Outgog Defense Secretary Leon Pata announced the extensn of some ary benefs to same-sex partners of service members. While the Defense of Marriage Act is law, however, gay ary partners are not entled to all of the same benefs as their straight unterparts. * gay couples in the army *

Eighteen years later, Congrs repealed the policy, allowg openly gay, lbian and bisexual people to serve the ary. Campbell was the first gay veteran to secure burial rights for her spoe, and the pair were the first same-sex ary uple to be buried together at a US natnal cemetery.

FIRST ACTIVE-DUTY GAY COUPLE MARRIED AT WT POT

* gay couples in the army *

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 the 172 natnal cemeteri the US – grounds rerved chiefly for ary members and selected fay. However, gay veterans have always fought for their right to be clud and celebrated such spac. Their tombston shout to the silence: “Gay is good, ” reads a plaque below the grave of Frank Kameny, an inic activist, civil servant and World War II veteran.

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

Soldiers reprentg the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer muny virtually celebrated Pri Month Thursday * gay couples in the army *

A glossy namels marble headstone marks the grave of Leonard Matlovich, one of the first LGBTQ veterans to prott the ary’s ban on homosexualy, as one belongg to “A Gay Vietnam Veteran. Now unr the new policy, if a gay spoe has an emergency at home durg a ployment or extend trag that her service member is at, her spoe would be eligible for emergency leave to e home and take re of her. Acrdg to a brief om the gay ary support group known as OutServe, there are about 101 benefs that are still not available bee feral law do not regnize gay marriage as legal.

The biggt on are accs to ary health re system, known as Trire, and a payout of the ary hog benefs available to those who are married and - or people who want on-post hog for fai who do not have a gay service member has children that are legally adopted right now, he n still receive on-post hog. Gay spo will still not be able to receive that unr the new As our ller om Arizona was jt lamentg. BUSHATZ: Well, I would be surprised if the ary did not extend the same benefs that straight partners have or straight hbands and wiv have rather to gay hbands and wiv, although I would be surprised if they did not require a marriage as part of you look at the requirements for clarg a same-sex partnership that the ary has issued as part of this, and you see thgs like a promise to be together fely.

I've had numero msag on Facebook, emails, you know, var munitns where I've had other ary spo and even active duty people who have ntacted my spoe and say, you know, I'm not sure I'm que there yet on the gay marriage, you know, but I do believe that you and your fay should be treated equally. And I see an overwhelmg majory of that, you know, for var reasons, people, like I said, they're jt not there yet on gay marriage. And so I feel, you know, 's somewhat of a duty of me and my fay's to show people who are kd of, you know, on the fence about gay marriage that we're jt like any other fay, whether they're, you know, ary, non-ary, you know, we have the same issu.

THE ELE GAY ARMY OF ANCIENT GREECETHE SACRED BAND OF THEB FEATED EVEN THE SPARTANSPETER PRKAR·FOLLOWPUBLISHED LSONS OM HISTORY·4 M READ·OCT 11, 2020--3SHAREGREEK WARRRS — ARTISTIC IMAGE (IMAGE:ARTSTATN/@ALIAKSANDR TRYZON)THE SACRED BAND WAS AN ELE ARY UN OM THEB PRISG 150 GAY UPL. AT THE BATTLE OF LCTRA 371 BC, THE 300 GAY WARRRS LED THE THEBAN ARMY AGAST THE SPARTAN ARMY. THE THEBANS WON AND SHATTERED THE SPARTAN NTROL OF GREECE.THE GREEK VIEW ON GAY WARRRSA MALE UPLE ENGAGG TERCRAL SEX. DEPICTED ON ANCIENT GREEK POTTERY (IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)THE THEBANS BELIEVED GAY WARRRS FOUGHT BETTER ORR TO IMPRS AND PROTECT THEIR LOVERS. IF A LOVER FELL DURG A BATTLE, HIS PARTNER WOULD FIGHT EVEN HARR TO AVENGE HIS ATH.THREE THOAND YEARS AGO ANCIENT GREECE, BEG GAY OR LBIAN WAS NOT A CRIME. IN FACT, CERTA SUATNS, THE GREEKS EVEN ENURAGED HOMOSEXUAL RELATNSHIPS.YOUNG BOYS EXCHANGED ROMANTIC FAVORS FOR THE KNOWLEDGE PROVID BY THEIR OLR TUTORS. FATHERS WOULD PRAY TO THE GODS FOR THEIR SONS TO BE ATTRACTIVE BEE MEANT A BETTER MENTOR. SUCH RELATNSHIPS LASTED UNTIL THE YOUNG BOYS REACHED ADULTHOOD.SOLDIERS WOULD FORM ROMANTIC RELATNSHIPS WH ONE ANOTHER TO BOOST THEIR MORALE.THE GREEK SOCIETY DIFFERENTIATED BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ROL BOTH GENRS TOOK DURG SEX. AN ACTIVE ROLE, BEG A PERATOR, MEANT MASCULY, ADULTHOOD, AND PRTIGE. A PASSIVE ROLE, BEG PERATED, REPRENTED FEMY, YOUTH, AND SHAME.FOR A RECEIVG PARTNER, ANAL SEX WAS MEANG. INSTEAD, THEY ENGAGED TERCRAL SEX.THE MEMBERS OF THE SACRED BAND OF THEB WERE ROMANTIC PARTNERS. THEY LLED AN OLR PARTNER THE ERAST (‘LOVER’) AND A YOUNGER ONE THE EROMENOS (‘BELOVED’). EACH PAIR EXCHANGED SACRED VOWS AT THE TEMPLE OF IOLS, THE LOVER OF HERACL.FACTS ABOUT THE SACRED BAND OF THEB

Pentagon officials announced Wednday that the DOD will provi marriage benefs to same-sex upl for the first time, givg gay spo accs to health re, hog allowanc and fay separatn pay. * gay couples in the army *

I spoke to a gay - a lbian uple here at Fort Campbell not long ago. But there are some thgs that I've noticed durg my time as an openly gay Mare Corps spoe and veteran. Gay marriage supporters hold a gay rights flag ont of the Supreme Court before a hearg about gay marriage Washgton April 28, 2015.

At the time, former Print Bill Clton's policy, "don't ask, don't tell" was effect, barrg homosexual or bisexual members of the ary om disclosg his or her sexual orientatn and om speakg about homosexual remembered thkg, “this guy has a lot of guts, and he’s kd of cute, too.

"So we put our mds that we were never gog to say we were gay, we were never gog to get ma fun of, and we were certaly never gog to get kicked out of the Army.

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

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

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY COUPLES IN THE ARMY

First Active-Duty Gay Couple Married At Wt Pot .

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