Subscribe to Breaking NewsDuffy: Servicemembers should battle military ban
Welcome to our new blogger, Michael Duffy, who obtained a masters in social work from Rutgers University and is currently serving his eleventh year in the U.S. armed forces. He is currently serving in the Middle East and will post as he can. Michael is using a pseudonym to protect himself from Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
President Obama’s administration states in black and white that “President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the ‘don’t ask , don’t tell’ policy.”
The section on DADT or Don’t Ask Don’t Tell under the ‘civil rights’ link states the administrations’ objectives and beliefs, peppered with facts about what DADT has cost America so far.
Nowhere does it say that the president might - or will think about – or is going to – commit to studying the effects of DADT and what repeal might mean. Yet it says in black and white that the president will work to repeal DADT.
So why hasn’t he?
On March 18, 2009 the military announced on defenselink.mil that they would implement a plan to eliminate “stop loss” starting with the reserve and National Guard components and ending with the active duty service members by the January of next year.
What is it that forced the military to look at this policy and determine it wasn’t good for the service members? Whose voice was it that was finally heard above all? Could it be that the actual service members ourselves have our own voice that we can use? If this is the case, then what else can we work together to accomplish?
We heard recently that the president might have too much to deal with right now to fight for the countless LGBT service members sweating, bleeding, and possibly dying for the American cause. The idea is that the LGBT population is used to being relegated to a second class position, so we can bear it - even though that hope that President Obama so famously inspired during his campaign dies a little bit each day.
I find myself rereading parts of www.whitehouse.gov to keep that hope alive… and to make sure he isn’t changing the website to accommodate current events. It’s more about actions than words at this point for the President.
So to sum up – what will President Obama need to force his hand? What can our LGBT service members do to have our voices heard? Are we brave enough to risk coming out all at once, in one mass statement, delivered to the desk of the president himself?
If we really had any hand in delivering themselves from what was commonly referred to as a “back door draft” – stop loss – can we do the same thing here, delivering to the president a war cry, the old early gay rights activist chant “We’re here… We’re Queer…” and I suppose “fire us or change the law”?
I can only imagine what would happen if the military was forced to face firing all of their gay soldiers at once. It’s a hard thing to ask of men and women we have asked so much of already. And why should we have to fight so hard for these rights anyway, when Americans at home clamber to post all over that they “support the troops”?
Support all the troops… let the LGBT serve.
Interesting article Michael. I’m glad your voice is on 365. The logistics of organizing a mass military “come out” are daunting but you have inspired an idea that may take fire. It’s a great idea but don’t take it on as a burden. So much is happening from so many places to bring about equity on the civil rights issue of our times-from the young grads at West Point to Vermont and Iowa. And your blog and ideas are part of this growing stream. There will be two steps forward and one step back before we help each other move on.
Obama does have a lot on his plate. There is abundant opposition to him fulfilling his promise to us on DADT. Your message seems to have reached another SOLDIERinIRAQ and from these first connections your network will grow. Having your voice online will give many comfort in knowing there are many others in the military unjustly having to keep their heads low. I’m looking forward to reading more from you. Thanks.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/military_westpoint_knightsout_031609w/
My partner is an active service member and I often talk to her about DADT. See me being on the outside looking in it is hard to imagine serving a country and defending freedoms that she cant even enjoy openly. I am so proud of her for putting her life on the line everyday, for fighting for something that is greater then her. However, my heart hurt every time she walks out of the door because I worry about when and if she will walk back in. In the event that she did not there would be no service members at my door to tell me what happened, no flag neatly folded, no ceremony where our children or relationship would be honored by the country for which she serves. Why??? Because we (our children and I) don’t exist …At work she can’t share stories of her family, of her kids, of her love. She has pictures of us in her wallet which she can not share. We live near her serving post so when and if I am seen by her coworkers I am her roommate, sister, best friend, etc. Our kids can’t play with the neighbor kids because all of their parents are in the military and we can’t risk our daughters inadvertently outing her because they don’t understand; they love their Mommies.
As much as I feel that if enough LGBT service members were to come out all at the same time the military could not discharge them all and it would force them to face us… she reminds me of several of our friends who were outted and forced out of the military not only for homosexual conduct but they tacked on anything they could find, making it one big man hunt…I remember a story she told me about a woman in her basic training that was a lesbian…she was open about the fact that she did not like men. She said one day the woman was found in her room beated, and bleeding… she had been gang raped by several male service members… I asked my partner what happened to her of the people responsible, she said simple, “she dropped out and the male service members who were ID received a slap on the wrist.” They are all still in the military actively serving as I write this. She told me she even remembers others laughing saying “I bet she likes dick now!”
I share this with you only to say that it is a greater risk then just loosing their careers… without the power of numbers Gays and Lesbians would be targeted not only for their sexual preference but for what they represent to the organization they are making a stand to. I believe that to make this effective we need the government to back us so that there would be severe punishments in place for those who target our sisters and brothers for their sexual orientation. I have heard to many stories from my LGBT friends serving of brutality and harm, I have seen some serve two+ terms in the desert only to come home and be discharged for homosexual conduct, I could go on and on.
Everyone needs to check out this weeks Newsweek magazine and Anna Quinlans article on gays in the military–awesome !! Obama-you listening ?
Michael Duffy Said:
I think we’d need a lot of support from the civilian sector to organize something of this magnitude. A site to register our names. A media outlet following the story. Enough participants so that it would be impossible to fire them all. Again… delivery to the CDR and Chief Obama’s desk so he can fire us himself… etc… not an easy nut.
=======
I’m still skeptical but I understand where you’re coming from.
P.S.
I look forward to hearing more from you.
Have pity for the Menstruator. Something made her a very angry person.
Thank You for serving in the US military and as a solid role model for the Gay community.
Hopefully in the near future the previous praise won’t appear oxymoronic / ie: DADT
Keep Safe and Be Well * Love Ya
Rick, thanks for the heads up on the Newsweek article by Quinlans:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/192456
thanks for your support all-
A, thanks for your pionts also. I am not in a stable relationship so i can’t know what it’s like for a loved one with kids home. Thanks for commenting.