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 Gay Sailor Fired Under
DADT, Called Back Up,
Fired Again
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 11, 2007 - 1:00 am ET
(Washington) An openly gay sailor,
discharged in 2005 under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and then called up
again last year has been informed he is once again being fired under the ban on
gays serving openly in the military - just weeks before he was to complete his
one-year commitment with the Navy.
Petty Officer Second Class Jason Knight was
informed this week by the Navy that it intends to fire him under under DADT.
Last week a story about Knight being called back
up after being dismissed in 2005 appeared in the military newspaper Stars &
Stripes. (story)
Navy brass informed Knight that the decision to release him was based largely on
the interview he gave the paper and other media interviews.
Knight had been stationed in Kuwait with Naval
Customs Battalion Bravo. He was scheduled to end his commitment on May 28. The
Navy said he will receive an honorable discharge.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network which
advocates for gays in the military and is fighting DADT in court, said Friday
that the Navy was willing to turn a blind eye to Knight's sexuality until he
went public.
"Jason Knight was an exemplary sailor who
gladly returned to active duty when our country needed him," said Sharra E.
Greer, director of law and policy for SLDN.
"Now, despite his dedication and service,
and the praise of those he served alongside, the Navy has decided to fire him
because he dared to tell his story and put a public face to the courage of
lesbian and gay service personnel. Our nation should be embarrassed that
our armed forces are forced to respond to Knight’s selfless service with a
government-sanctioned pink slip."
Knight, a trained Hebrew linguist, told Stars
& Stripes that, having ‘come out’ to his command during his previous
enlistment, he saw no reason to hide his sexual orientation.
"I have now spent five years in the Navy,
and I have loved every minute of it," Knight said Friday.
"It is unfortunate that in our country,
which prides itself on being a beacon of liberty to the world, discrimination is
still alive and well, even in our own government. I am proud to be among the one
million gay veterans who have answered the call to duty, and I look forward to
working alongside them to topple this un-American and counter-productive law."
In the Stars & Stripes article a number of
Knight’s colleagues spoke out in support of him.
"He’s better than the
average sailor at his job," Bill Driver, the leading petty officer of
Knight’s 15-person customs crew in Kuwait, told the paper.
"It’s not at all a
strange situation. As open as he is now, it was under wraps for quite a while.
It wasn’t an issue at work."
The SLDN lawsuit is underway in federal court in
Boston and a second, by Log Cabin Republicans, is before a federal court in
California. (story)
In February, Congressman Marty
Meehan (D-MA), chair of the House Armed Services Sub-Committee on Oversight and
Investigations, reintroduced legislation to repeal the law. (story)
Meehan said that more than 120 Members of
Congress from both parties have signed on to co-sponsor the bill, called the
Military Readiness Enhancement Act.
©365Gay.com 2007
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