Army’s first openly gay general retir after spirg others | Article | The Uned Stat Army

Contents:

• I THOUGHT I COULD SERVE AS AN OPENLY GAY MAN THE ARMY. THEN CAME THE DEATH THREATS.
• I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
• ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS
• CAN YOU BE GAY THE ARMY NOW?
• US ARY LIFTS BAN ON OPENLY GAY TROOPS
• IN SOUTH KOREA, GAY SOLDIERS CAN SERVE. BUT THEY MIGHT BE PROSECUTED.
• GAYS THE MILARY
• I WAS KICKED OUT OF THE MILARY FOR BEG GAYI WAS KICKED OUT OF THE MILARY FOR BEG GAY
• MARQUATE'S GAY MILARY FICTN
• SO ANY GAY GUYS WHO HAVE BEEN THE MILARY OR NAVY POST HERE?
• CAN GAY PEOPLE JO THE ARY?
• GAYS THE U.S. MILARY ARE NOW PROTECTED AGAST 'WCH HUNTS'
• WHEN GAY SAILOR WAS OUTED, HE FOUND HIS NAVY BUDDI HAD HIS BACK
• I WAS AN OFFICER IN THE INDIAN ARMY, I'M GAY AND VERY PROUD

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

Five years ago, the Uned Stat ary ma history by officially allowg gay and lbian people to openly serve the armed forc whout fear of beg kicked out due to their sexual orientatn. Half a after the repeal of don’t ask, don’t tell, most lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr service members still felt reluctant to be open about their sexualy wh their lleagu and cha of mand, acrdg to a study released late study, published by the journal Sexualy Rearch and Social Policy, found that 59 percent of rponnts did not feel fortable beg out at work, eher bee of reer repercsns or bee of the burn of beg a token rponsible for tg their peers. ”Dpe the orrs om above, many veterans publicly opposed the 2011 repeal of the ban on gay, lbian and bisexual service for troops who had grown up that environment, the policy’s mise did not flip a swch terms of fort level ― theirs or their lleagu.

“The stctor was reported to e the pejorative term ‘fags’ durg class, disclose other people’s sexual mory inty to his stunts whout their permissn, and munite that he believed sexual mori were more promiscuo than heterosexuals, ” acrdg the the study, based on a rponse om a gay soldier.

I am about to be put on a board for major and I do not want to not even have that opportuny to put myself where they n easily be like, ‘Get rid of this guy; if we have to cut 55 percent of the officers up for , he’s one of the easy on we n jt fd a reason to jt ver [ourselv], ' " said one rponnt, a gay Mare.

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

“I had a few iends there [ trag] that I got to know pretty well, but I knew a uple of them had some pretty strong relig backgrounds and I did not really feel like ttg the waters at that pot, ” one rponnt, a gay soldier, said. "An employer who fir an dividual for beg homosexual or transgenr fir that person for tras or actns would not have qutned members of a different sex, ” Jtice Neil Gorsuch wrote the cisn.

In rponse, and apparently to monstrate his petency his assigned posn, the nonmissned officer had taken upon himself to approach the person he nsired cled toward mtg a siar offense the future: me, the only openly gay soldier my un. Together we approached our un’s learship, where she sisted that the ments had stemmed om the reprentative’s own homophobic feelgs and remend that he be reprimand and removed om his posn as the un’s sexual harassment watchdog.

But by then was hard to ignore the anxiety I felt durg required social activi — “mandatory fun, ” as ’s lled the ary — or the tensn om my fellow moment I cid to bee a soldier and the moment I chose to live openly as a gay man occurred so closely time that ’s hard to remember which me first.

ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS

It was still four months before the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell, ” a double-edged policy prohibg askg any service member about his or her sexualy while enforcg a ban on openly gay service members. Every memory evok an emotn: rage that I had to serve wh a nstant sense of fear of my fellow soldiers; paralyzg sadns for those who endured ab worse than I n know; and, the worst, guilt over the service members — gay or straight or transgenr — who died while servg the ary while my body is still whole. 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.

Tammy Smh, the ary’s hight-rankg openly gay officer, me out 2012, she has tried beg an example of livg thentilly while also beg a bean of visibily to other Soldiers and their fai.

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.

CAN YOU BE GAY THE ARMY NOW?

While the US ary’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy was rcd 2011 allowg open service by gay, lbian, and bisexual service members, transgenr people are still barred om enterg the US ary.

US ARY LIFTS BAN ON OPENLY GAY TROOPS

“Given that large numbers of LGBTQ+ veterans who were affected by prev homophobic and transphobic polici have not applied for a discharge upgra due to the perceptn that the procs uld be onero, we are hopeful that this policy statement enurag more of them to ntact VA to terme their eligibily for re and servic, ” she said. Ameri’s alli, cludg the Uned Kgdom, Canada, Israel, and Atralia, allow openly gay, lbian, and bisexual persons to serve the ary, and this has no adverse effect on ary reads or disciple (Belk, 2001, 2003; Belk & Bateman, 2003; Belk & Levt, 2001; Belk & McNichol, 2001). Ary enacted the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy 1993, about 12, 000 lbian, gay, and bisexual ary personnel have been voluntarily discharged solely bee of their sexual orientatn, at least 8% of whom had missn-cril skills.

Send, sce disclosure of sexual orientatn is officially prohibed, gay, lbian, and bisexual service members are liable to avoid accsg mental health servic when they need them (Johnson & Buhrke, 2006). Third, is reasonable to assume that forced secrecy and the fear of beg exposed as gay, lbian or bisexual are likely to disproportnally crease anxiety and dispt optimal performance.

IN SOUTH KOREA, GAY SOLDIERS CAN SERVE. BUT THEY MIGHT BE PROSECUTED.

Consistent wh a long-standg body of social psychology rearch based on Allport’s (1954) ntact hypothis, scientists have repeatedly found evince for rced prejudice levels toward gay, lbian or bisexual people among heterosexuals who are acquated wh openly gay, lbian or bisexual members of society (e.

The thors of a prehensive recent meta-analysis of the last six s of rearch this area monstrate that the rrelatn of ntact between heterosexuals and gay and lbian persons wh lower levels of sexual prejudice is signifintly higher than prejudice rctn lked to ntact wh any other target group, e. Public opn polls recent years have nsistently shown that two-thirds of the public, on average, believe that gay, lbian, and bisexual service members should be allowed to serve openly the U. The percentage of ary service members strongly opposed to allowg gay and lbian persons serve the ary has cled nsirably over the last , wh only 5% of personnel the ary a 2006 poll statg that they are “very unfortable” teractg wh gay and lbian persons the ary, ntrasted wh 73% who were somewhat or very fortable this regard (Zogby et al., 2006).

“No longer will our untry be nied the service of thoands of patrtic Amerins who were forced to leave the ary – regardls of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance – bee they happen to be gay, ” said former Print Barack Obama. Milary psychiatrists theorized that heterosexual mal uld participate homosexual acts while alg wh the strs of war due to the lack of ‘normal’ sexual outlets war-torn areas. “When was ascertaed that the basis of the maladjtment was homosexualy and this was reported to the dividual’s mandg officer, the subject ually received a ‘blue’ discharge, ” said Lt.

GAYS THE MILARY

Gay servicemen and women are protected unr the same laws as any other person and offered the same opportuni to excel and live wh a cent qualy of life whout fear of stroyg their reers.

“That is why I say to all Amerins, gay or straight, who want nothg more than to fend this untry uniform: Your untry needs you, your untry wants you, and we will be honored to wele you to the ranks of the ft ary the world has ever known, ” stated Obama. Don't Ask, Don't Tell – the US ary's 18-year ban on openly gay and lbian service personnel – has officially been repealed, herg a new era for the untry's armed a statement Print Barack Obama weled the end of a policy that he said had forced gay and lbian members to "lie about who they are" repeal, which took effect om midnight on Tuday, was celebrated as "momento news" by gay lobby groups across the US, who have long fought agast the policy, and among the ary's timated 65, 000 servg gay and lbian servicemen and said he was nfint that liftg the ban would enhance natnal secury.

"Last December, the print signed legislatn to repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy (DADT), which had been passed by ngrs and signed to law 1993 unr then-Print Bill paid tribute to gay and lbian troops who had been discharged as a rult of the policy, and to those who had lost their liv to serve their than 14, 500 US service personnel have been thrown out of ary service sce the DADT policy took effect, acrdg to the non-prof watchdog and lobby group, the Servicemembers Legal DefenseDefence a memo, the Pentagon said that the policy would not harm ary reads, un hn or recg and retag members. "Effective today, statements about sexual orientatn or lawful acts of homosexual nduct will not be nsired as a bar to ary service, " said Clifford Stanley, the US unr secretary of fence for personnel and reads. "All service members are to treat one another wh digny and rpect, regardls of sexual orientatn, " he said, warng that "harassment or abe based on sexual orientatn" would not be tolerated the Pentagon said recers are now acceptg applitns om openly gay a statement, the US army said: "From this day forward, gay and lbian soldiers may serve our army wh the digny and rpect they serve.

I WAS KICKED OUT OF THE MILARY FOR BEG GAYI WAS KICKED OUT OF THE MILARY FOR BEG GAY

"Across the US, groups that have long lobbied for the change weled the Thompson, of the media monorg group Gay and Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn, said: "Today, Ameri took a momento step forward the pursu of full equaly by fully repealg 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and openg s ary to every brave man and woman willg to serve, whether straight or gay. Litenant Daniel Choi is a former US officer and now rights mpaigner who was kicked out of the army for beg gay after servg Iraq said: "This is not a moment when I have been out chuggg beers.

She said many gay veterans discharged unr DADT were often told – wrongly – that they were not eligible for full healthre benefs through the US partment of veterans' said that her anisatn would now put advocy on this issue at the foreont of s missn. Ary due to their sexual orientatn, cludg an timated 14, 000 service members who were discharged unr "don't ask, don't tell, " durg the 17 years that was effect, acrdg to the rights activists and gay veterans, cludg former Army Litenant Dan Choi (4th L) and former Mare Corporal Evelyn Thomas (5th L), handcuff themselv to the fence of the Whe Hoe durg a prott Nov. "Given that large numbers of LGBTQ+ Veterans who were affected by prev homophobic and transphobic polici have not applied for a discharge upgra due to the perceptn that the procs uld be onero, we are hopeful that this policy statement enurag more of them to ntact VA to terme their eligibily for re and servic, " acrdg to a VA statement.

The print directed that an executive orr reversg the ban on homosexuals the ary be prepared by July Edmonds/AP, FILE"Don't ask, don't tell, " was signed to law 1993 unr the admistratn of Print Bill Clton, who ially sought to end a World War II-era ban on homosexuals servg the backlash om some ary lears and members of Congrs, Clton managed to get support for an apparent promise, which would allow LGBTQ dividuals to serve the ary if they did not disclose their sexual his first term office, Print Barack Obama voiced his support for repealg the law.

MARQUATE'S GAY MILARY FICTN

Kim is one of an creasg number of gay or transgenr soldiers who have been persecuted unr Article 92-6 of the Army Crimal Act, which has been ed to out them and punish them for nsensual sex, Amnty Internatnal said a report released on Article 92-6, “anal sex and other cent acts” between ary personnel n be punished by up to two years prison, even if they take place off base, while the soldiers are off duty and by mutual nsent.

SO ANY GAY GUYS WHO HAVE BEEN THE MILARY OR NAVY POST HERE?

All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve for about two ary says do not bar gay and transgenr people om servg, and the Defense Mistry has expand trag on protectg the rights of sexual mori. Lim South Korea, which has been slow to embrace the rights of sexual mori, that 2017 crackdown triggered an unual gree of recent years, gay people have bee more visible the untry.

But nservative Christian groups have also lated monstratns agast homosexualy major ci, often llg gay soldiers a threat to ary groups helped to scuttle attempts Parliament to pass an anti-discrimatn law, urged on South Korea by the Uned Natns, that would give sexual mori the same protectns that other mory groups have. Amnty Internatnal’s report scrib vivid tail how antigay attus have translated to physil and sexual abe wh the former soldier told the rights group he had been forced to have oral and anal sex wh another gay soldier, as a superr tnted, “Don’t you want to have sex wh a womanlike man?

CAN GAY PEOPLE JO THE ARY?

Due to current Uned Stat ary regulatn, LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr) cizens have to keep their sexual orientatn a secret if they want to serve any branch of the armed forc. By lookg further to the racial and genr-based tegratn procs unrgone by the Uned Stat ary the past, we will be able to foree how tegratg homosexuals will likely affect the armed forc. By analyzg the supposed trimental effects of homosexual tegratn to the Uned Stat ary on un hn and bat effectivens, as well as the burn tegratn would put on the budget of the central ernment, we will hopefully be able to appreciate the views of those who support the DADT policy.

When asked how their level of morale would be affected if after DADT is repealed they were workg wh a service member their immediate un who has said he or she is gay or lbian, 43. A siar statistic is prented when the same sample is qutned regardg the affect that the repealg of DADT will have on their own personal job performance if they are workg a un wh an openly gay or lbian service member.

In rearch done by Congrs regardg the polici of homosexuals foreign ary, was found that Atralia has allowed homosexuals to serve openly their armed forc sce 1992 (“Sexual Orientatn”). Ultimately the most polilly rrect argument stems om the fact that vasn of privacy (specifilly when homosexuals may observe heterosexuals undrs, th rultg sexual excement) will lead to dimishg morale and ultimately a ls effective bat un.

GAYS THE U.S. MILARY ARE NOW PROTECTED AGAST 'WCH HUNTS'

The fact of the matter is that if a bat-ready Uned Stat Mare is uneasy about roomg wh a homosexual, his bat effectivens will crease, and th negatively affect the overall succs of the missn at hand. General Conway particular has been quoted sayg, "We sometim ask Mar what is their preference and I n tell you that an overwhelmg majory would like not to be roomed wh a person who is openly homosexual" (“Mare Lears”). Officers would no longer ask about their subordat’ orientatn and, as long as service members didn’t tell superrs they were gay, and didn’t engage homosexual acts while on active duty, they were ee to serve.

WHEN GAY SAILOR WAS OUTED, HE FOUND HIS NAVY BUDDI HAD HIS BACK

The law, enacted 1994, was tend as a promise between Print Bill Clton’s mpaign promise to end the rmal practice of kickg homosexuals out of the ary and Republin sistence that our forc weren’t ready for open service.

I WAS AN OFFICER IN THE INDIAN ARMY, I'M GAY AND VERY PROUD

Gettg back to the French Foreign legn, after reful ter search and translatn help I have learned that homosexualy is not only actively disuraged durg the recment procs, but that a soldier is discharged should be found out that he is gay. Somebody else “ the know” posted the followg regardg the recment procs ( French, this is a translatn): “It’s not officially wrten but at the recment terview you get refed [if you are openly gay] and the recers make sure people know that, so gays don’t try to jo.

Got missned as an officer 2002 and am approachg my 12th year a gay man, 2002 - 2004 were the worst bee I was so aaid of gettg kicked out unr Don't Ask Don't those were technilly supposed to be among the bt years of my datg life!