Comments on: Hearing This Week On Repealing Military Gay Ban

By: Trace

Trace — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:12:19 +0000

God’s Speed Army Gurl. One day our fine men and women will not have to deny that they are gay and still serve honorably. Thank You For Your Service.

By: Army Gurl

Army Gurl — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:28:26 +0000

I for one can not wait for DADT to be disbanned. I have been serving in the Army for a lil over 3 years now. I have been in iraq 15 months of that time getting ready to go one another 12 tour in Iraq. And the hardest part is trying to act “straight”. Which is not what and Soldier should be worried about while serving, let alone in a war zone! Life should not be that hard.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:06:37 +0000

I entered service in early 2003. I am proud of my veteran status and the Sailors with whom I served with. I served honorably and with pride. I also served in fear that somehow my sexual orientation would be discovered thus destroying my service career. I would have continued to serve but a service connected disability left me with no other options but take a Med-Board (honorable medical discharge).

I saw firsthand, while in the service, some of those whom the DADT policy destroyed. I was injured while in boot camp and stayed nine months in boot before I was allowed to move on to my next assignment. While in boot I saw well over one hundred fine outstanding young men and women who were forcefully ousted by their division’s Recruit Division Commanders or by other recruits. I saw these witch hunts that they say no longer occurs. These young adults are legally separated after an embarrassing Captain’s Mast and leave in shame with an “Other than Honorable” discharge. I know many who left no longer had a place to go, after they told their family of the discharge they were rejected and left homeless.

I was also one who was victimized by one of the witch hunts. I had a Top Secrete security clearance and only had the fact I had to hide my sexual orientation put it and my career in jeopardy. Rumors were started by a recruit who was in trouble for possession and use of other’s prescription medicine. The Master at Arms questioned over forty fellow recruits to conclude that I did not speak of my personal life and sex like the others. It was enough with a few trumped-up charges stating that I made extra tours thru the head (bathroom) while on roving security watches. I after pleading my innocence, proved to them that I only made tours of the all the spaces as we are ordered and besides the door watch would have known if anything I was doing was out of the ordinary which none of the security logs showed. I still suffered a lost of ½ a months pay.

I was never ashamed of being a Sailor except for the moment I was forced to lie while in Captain’s Mast. I entered service at age thirty-one. I spent years fighting obesity to finally be able to join. I lost over two hundred pounds and got in shape. I was not going to let my personal life and sexual orientation stop me from serving. If anything the DADT policy placed me in circumstances that made me violate my principles and my honor so I may continue to serve.

I love this country and felt honored to serve in the finest Navy in the world. Even the best can be better…
“Honor, Courage, Commitment” US Navy Core Values & Mine

By: Carlton Hurdle Jr

Carlton Hurdle Jr — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:24:06 +0000

I heard an amazing documentary about this today on Sirius Radio’s OutQ. 16yrs later, it’s about time, I hope the DADT is repealed so that our troops can serve openly and comfortably.

By: Steve van Keuren

Steve van Keuren — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:14:23 +0000

I am proud that our own representative to Congress, Susan Davis, is taking the lead in repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, in spite of San Diego being a somewhat conservative area.

–Steve van Keuren
San Diego

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:56:08 +0000

Talk about stupid. As science continues to confirm that gay people have better foreign-language skills than non-gay folks, we’ve eliminated 56 Arab translators in the military because they were gay. Let’s shoot ourselves in the foot! As a linguist that speaks 5 languages, and could learn a few more, the idea that my world-hated government won’t allow me to facilitate necessary communication because I occasionally sleep with men is illogical in the extreme. No nation that allows gays to serve has experienced any difficulty in the transition. They’re fighting alongside us in the wars we’ve started. Maybe we should ask our allies to go home, lest their homosexual service members corrupt our hetero forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Frankly, if our Armed Forces are so weak that they cannot swallow such a minimal change (it’s not likely that gays will warm up to the military until it apologizes for treating us like sh*t, which will take years), I don’t trust them to be able to protect us very well: seems to be a sign of weakness. If we’re that afraid of gay men and women, how can we confront the really creepy people in the world like Mr Bin Laden? I grew up overseas and know what the rest of the world thinks about us. Boy oh boy, are we misunderstood! On the other hand, the US has done little for me in my life other than provide a passport and teach me about homophobia. So I’ll take my gay american brain and put it to use for a nation that will judge me on my abilities, not my status as a sexual minority. How dare the US predetermine my level of nationalism and devotion to country based on who I sleep with. Naughty America. BMB.

By: Pat

Pat — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:18:35 +0000

The fact that military leaders are just fine with recruiting violent felons but think that trained and skilled gays and lesbians aren’t good enough speaks loudly of the homophobia that still exists in the military. Will repealing DADT make a difference? I think not.

By: Johnny Boi

Johnny Boi — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:03:16 +0000

Here in Canada, gays and lesbians can serve in the Canadian military and this is done without major incidents. It`s kinda sad to think that the US can not see past centuries old discrimination and prejudice against a group of people dedicated enought to want to serve and defend their fellow citizens.