Leadg Advocy Group for Gay Rights the US Milary Shuttg Down |

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

* gay military laws *

Ary the past , stris are still beg ma to improve acceptance, tegratn and health for gay and transgenr service members. Today, gay and transgenr ary service members enjoy far more rights than they did even five years ago—but the fight ntu to crease visibily and acceptance for this group the armed forc. Department of Defense (DoD) releas a policy statg that “homosexualy is patible wh ary service.

1988: The rults of a jot report nducted by the DoD and the Defense Personnel Secury Rearch Edutn Center rerce the fdgs of a 1957 report claimg that gay and lbian dividuals enlisted the armed forc pose no signifint risk to secury (which had prevly been the ratnale for barrg gay dividuals om enlistg the ary). 1993: Print Bill Clton signs the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, barrg openly gay and lbian Amerin cizens om ary service—while prohibg harassment of all “closeted” ary service members.

GAYS THE MILARY/LGBT LAW

2015: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announc that the Milary Equal Opportuny policy has been modified to clu gay and lbian service members. 2016: The Senate nfirms Eric Fanng as secretary of the Army, makg him the first openly gay secretary of a U.

Enacted 1993, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was a promise reached after Print Clton was unable to keep his promise to pletely lift an existg ary ban on gay, lbian, and bisexual dividuals servg the armed forc.

The policy allowed lbian, gay, and bisexual service members to serve, but only if they kept their sexual orientatn pletely secret.

UPDATED: HISTORY OF U.S. POLICY AND LAW ON GAYS THE MILARY

After the repeal, gay, lbian, and bisexual service members who’d prevly been discharged due to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” had the opportuny to reenlist.

Unsurprisgly, a study of the effects of the repeal on ary reads found that had no negative effects: had not triggered mass rignatns or loss morale, and also hadn’t ed a spike anti-gay vlence.

Wdsor, gay, lbian, and bisexual service members still did not enjoy the same benefs afford to heterosexual service members. Although stris have been ma to advance the rights of gay, lbian, and bisexual ary service members, there was a s-long ban on transgenr service members servg openly startg the 1960s.

BRIEF HISTORY OF GAYS THE MILARY

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.