Sep

17

DADT Affects Women, Too. Who Would’ve Thunk It?

Filed Under DADT, Gender, Race | Leave a Comment

This press release bugs me just a bit because the “news” here is being presented as if this extremely important fact about DADT just came to light.  Most of us who haven’t been wowed by rockstar DADT activist Dan Choi already knew that women and racial minorities are the groups most affected by DADT.   The fact that Choi and other prominent DADT activists have chosen to ignore this fact really grates my nerves.

For some time now, prominent DADT activists have pushed the “highly educated and skilled gay men with really important military jobs are being kicked out of the military” rhetoric. In the meantime, women and racial minorities who were affected by DADT (especially those who don’t have seemingly “important” roles in the military) have been ignored. We’ve seen a very “entitled and privileged gay male” mentality at play with DADT activists. I use the words “entitled” and “privileged” because any servicemember who props himself up to be a bigger loss to the nation’s armed services than someone else is definitely functioning using a privileged and entitled mentality.

With that said, even though the following press release prompted a really nasty knee jerk response, I think it’s worth posting:

LOS ANGELES — The Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law issued results of a new study showing that the proportion of women and racial/ethnic minorities among those discharged under the US military’s “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” policy has increased over time.  In the late 1990s approximately a quarter of discharges were women and similar proportions were racial/ethnic minorities.  In recent years, those proportions have increased to more than a third of the DADT discharges.

Williams Distinguished Scholar Dr. Gary Gates notes that, “These data document a marked shift in how Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell has been enforced among various demographic groups.  It is clear that women and racial/ethnic minorities now bear a larger portion of the burden imposed by the policy than they did when the policy was first implemented in 1993.”

The study analyses the demographic characteristics of the more than 13,500 men and women who have been discharged under Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell and compares those characteristics to those of the US military as a whole and to characteristics of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGB) serving in the military.

The percentage of women in the military has remained steady at about 14-15% from 1997 through 2008 while the percentage of women discharged under Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell has increased from 22% in 1997 to 39% in 2009.  Other Williams Institute analyses suggest that the percentage of women among LGB servicemembers has increased from 32% in 2000 to 41% in 2008.

Racial and ethnic minorities comprise about a third of the US military and comprise a similar proportion of the Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell discharges in 2009.  Data from US Census Bureau data on individuals in same-sex couples who say they are either on active duty or in the guard or reserve suggest that about a quarter are non-white.  This was true in both 2000 and in 2008.

This study follows a series of Williams Institute reports documenting the impact of the Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell policy.  Williams Institute research has shown that:   Nearly 71,000 lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals  are currently serving either on active duty or among guard and reserve forces in the US military.  Since its inception, Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell has cost the US taxpayers as much as half a billion dollars.   If the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy had not been instituted, an estimated 4,000 lesbian, gay, and bisexual personnel would have been retained  in the US military each year since 1994.

Jul

8

Servicemembers United Comfortable With DADT Survey Security

Filed Under DADT, Politics, President Barack Obama | Leave a Comment

SLDN Urges Gay Troops to Avoid Pentagon Surveys. Servicemembers United has a different opinion.

I’ve seen lots of bitchiness flying through the anti-Obama gay blogosphere regarding the Pentagon’s  troop survey on the DADT policy change.   Since I don’t like to listen to much those tired ass queens have to say, I contacted Alex Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United.

Nicholson stated the following:

1. He has not seen a copy of the survey yet and he doesn’t believe anyone else (outside those military personnel selected to complete the survey) has seen it either.

2. He was concerned there was a question about sharing bathrooms on the draft copy of the survey, but since he hasn’t seen a final version of the survey, he can’t state whether the question is still there.

There’s some fire-fanning comments coming from members of the anti-Obama gay blogosphere who are claiming the survey puts gay and lesbian servicemembers at risk of being discharged under DADT if they participate in the survey. Nicholson states “I am completely comfortable with the security mechanisms in place to secure confidentiality and anonymity.”  The survey itself does not ask if a servicemember is gay, but there’s a confidential chat after a servicemember has completed the survey that will allow him or her to discuss what it’s like being gay or lesbian in the military. Nicholson says:

“Servicemembers United encourages all gay and lesbian active duty troops who received the survey to take this important opportunity to provide their views. We especially encourage gay and lesbian troops to take advantage the opportunity at the end of the survey to participate in a confidential chat about issues related to being gay or lesbian in the U.S. military.”

It’s a damn shame that the “elite gay press” (that’s what they like to call themselves) is doing everything in its power to derail any effort the Obama administration makes to fulfill their promise of repealing DADT. And Pam Spaulding leads the bunch, like a good little token Black lesbian.

UPDATE July 9, 2010: Pentagon #DADT Survey Incredibly Biased & Derogatory, Still Safe for Gay, Lesbian Participation – http://bit.ly/b8JygX

Jun

5

Sex Injuries; A Visit to the Honey Pot

Filed Under DADT, Lesbian Podcast, Sex and Sexuality | Leave a Comment

She Said, She Said is a podcast featuring lesbian couple Genia and Andrea. Genia is the host of SistersTalk Radio and Andrea is the assistant producer.

In this segment:

*More news on DADT
*Woman sues phone company after her husband left her
*Sex injuries – ever had one?
*Genia’s weekend in Tampa, FL
*Our first YouTube video

Featured indie musician: Jen Foster (Song played: Venice Beach)

May

27

Gay Activists Launch Hunger Strike – #BIGFUCKINFAIL

Filed Under Bitch Slap, DADT, Politics | 8 Comments

I recently learned that Dan Choi and James Pietrangelo are planning a hunger strike:

Lt. Dan Choi released a statement to announce that he and Capt. James Pietrangelo will start a fast in opposition to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” compromise. He also said that more civil disobedience and arrests could be possible this weekend.

My response: LMAO! Really? FOR REAL? ROTFLMAO!

Seriously? This is a slap in the face to millions of Americans who – due to the current economic climate – are starving through no fault of their own. Two gay men who have homes and jobs and the ability to purchase food are willingly starving themselves because they oppose the current DADT compromise. Let’s ponder that for a moment.

How is this move supposed to make Americans sympathetic to the gay community’s cause when too many people are personally associated with people who are homeless and struggling to feed themselves and their children? This move wreaks of gay privilege because if anyone can CHOOSE to starve themselves it must mean they’re not that hard up economically. The same person who can choose to starve himself can also choose to eat whenever he wants. For Americans who don’t have that choice – and folks like myself who sympathize with them – I’m rolling my eyes at Dan Choi and James Pietrangelo and calling them media hungry whores just lookin’ for more attention.

That’s my opinion and I’m stickin’ to it.

May

25

Kip Williams: Sit Yo’ Punk Ass Down Somewhere

Filed Under Bitch Slap, DADT, Humor | Leave a Comment

I just read about Kip Williams of GetEqual “heckling” President Obama today in San Francisco over on the blog Renwl. I absolutely love the way Obama handled Williams – and I made sure I told Williams that. Click here to see the screen capture of my comment on Williams’s Facebook profile because I’m pretty sure it’ll be deleted pretty soon.

Here’s the video of what happened in SF:

I love how Obama made the crowd laugh about the situation – AND laugh at Williams! Classy! I was also very pleased with the support Obama received from the crowd. The crowd started chanting (again!) “Yes we can! Yes we can!” to drown out the noise coming from the riff-raff. Williams looked stupid and Obama came out of the situation looking just as suave as ever.

Obama handled himself very well. He didn’t dare let the likes of Kip Williams break his stride.

Obama wouldn’t ever say this to Williams because he’s much too classy and professional, so I’ll say it for him: Kip Williams, sit yo’ punk ass down somewhere.

May

25

Servicemembers United Supports DADT Compromise

Filed Under DADT, Politics | 3 Comments

As expected, the gay blogosphere has been working frantically to encourage the LGBT community to be suspicious of the latest DADT news that “leaked” out of Washington yesterday:

According to one person familiar with the White House meeting, the proposal that is being considered would legislatively repeal the statute this year, but the current policy would remain in place and implementation of repeal would not occur until after the Pentagon’s working group study is finished in December. Further, completion of repeal would require certification from President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and Joint Chiefs chair Adm. Mike Mullen that the new law will not have a negative impact on readiness, recruitment, retention, and other key factors affecting the military.

Pam Spaulding and others (people who consider themselves elite members of the gay press and have decided that they can manipulate and present the news anyway they see fit) have gone so far as to encourage people to believe the latest tactics out of Washington are designed to screw over the gay community. Since I’m not a member of the gay blogosphere’s herd of sheep, I decided to ask a trusted source their opinion on the matter.  Eric Kennedy, from Servicemembers United – the nation’s largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans and their allies – says this:

We support the amendments that are being introduced by our champions in the House and Senate this week. While they don’t give us everything up front and immediately, there are mechanisms built into the legislation and the process to ensure that everything falls into place within a reasonable window. We simply do not have the votes for 100% of what we want right now, and advocates have worked very hard to get us 80% now with a mechanism for securing the remaining 20% in the near future. This gets the legislative battle out of the way and avoids the risks of the mid-terms pushing repeal of for 2, 3, or 5 more years.

Facebook was buzzin’ yesterday with rant after rant about Obama screwin’ the gay community – again. As often as I could, I reminded people that they might want to get their news from more than one source, especially if that source is a gay blogger who wouldn’t know balanced reporting if it bitch slapped her across the face.

May

18

Servicemembers United Announces Launch of MilitaryPartners.org

Filed Under DADT, Gays, Lesbians | Leave a Comment

Servicemembers United, the nation’s largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans and their allies, today announced the launch of a new online resource to serve the military partner community – www.MilitaryPartners.org. The website is designed to serve as the new home for Servicemembers United’s “Campaign for Military Partners” initiative and will provide links to LGBT-inclusive military resources, a robust blog about the experiences of military partners, a support forum for military partners, media coverage about the plight of partners, and more.

“The civilian partners of gay and lesbian military personnel are often forgotten in the debate over the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy,” said Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United. “These silent heroes must bear all of the same burdens of military family life, but they are not able to share in the support, benefits, or recognition that the military provides to the wives and husbands, and even the girlfriends and boyfriends, of straight troops.”

Nicholson continued, “Long deployments to warzones can be especially difficult times for families and loved ones back home, and the problems are only exacerbated by the difficulties that gay and lesbian couples face, including isolation and an inability to even communicate with the deployed partner. Our Campaign for Military Partners initiative has seen a lot of initial success in reaching out to military partners, and we expect the launch of www.MilitaryPartners.org to go a long way toward providing more and more support to military partners as the project grows.”

The Campaign for Military Partners grew out of the work of a Military Partners Advisory Group that Servicemembers United set up in mid-2009 to help the organization’s leaders identify ways to better support the military partner community. The Campaign’s mission is to reach out to, recognize, connect, and support the civilian partners of active duty LGBT military personnel.

May

16

LZ Granderson Discusses ‘Closeted anti-gays are the enemy within’

Filed Under DADT, Gays, Lesbian Podcast, Race | Leave a Comment

LZ Granderson is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, and has contributed to ESPN’s Sports Center, Outside the Lines and First Take. He is a 2010 nominee and the 2009 winner of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) award for online journalism as well as the 2008 National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) winner for column writing.


Granderson joined us to discuss his latest op-ed piece “Closeted anti-gays are the enemy within.”

May

3

Is Dan Choi Minimizing His Risks Now?

Filed Under DADT, LGBT | Leave a Comment

I have much respect for anyone who is actively engaged in the fight for full LGBT equality – including Dan Choi. After watching this video, and debating for weeks with GetEqual folks regarding their “What are you willing to risk for equality” rhetoric, I offer this video as proof that even GetEqual’s people – and Dan Choi himself – have figured out exactly how much risk they’re willing to take.

The first time Dan Choi chained himself to the White House fence, he stated the following in a Time Magazine interview that followed the event (bold emphasis is mine):

When I get messages from people who want to be a part of this I ask back: what are you willing to sacrifice? We are tired of being stereotyped as privileged, bourgeois elites. Is someone willing to give up their career, their relationships with powerful people, their Rolodex, or their parents’ love to stand up for who they are? I’m giving up my military rank, my unit—which to me is a family—my veterans’ benefits, my health care, so what are you willing to sacrifice?

In the video I posted above, Dan says:

I am technically not allowed to be very much closer to the White House than right here where my feet are firmly planted.

Hmm . . . so, does this mean Dan’s not willing to take any more risks? Why is he not in uniform (as usual) and on White House property (as usual)? Wouldn’t that really send the message that he’s really, truly risking it all for the sake of full LGBT equality. I mean, you can’t get anymore defiant than that.

Anyone who has been in the military (that includes yours truly: US Navy, 1991 – 1995, Gulf War Veteran) knows that protesting in uniform is against the UCMJ. Has Dan broken that code one too many times? I’m guessing he has since we see him in civilian clothes instead. Is he no longer pushing the envelope? Is he suddenly afraid (although in this video he says he’s not) to find out just what’s in store for him if he keeps messing with the government?

Contrary to popular belief, I am not attacking Dan. Not at all. What I’m doing is warning all those anxious “ready to rumble” types out there – folks who are ready to run off to DC to chain themselves to a fence or two – that the risk is indeed huge and you have to be really ready to deal with the ramifications. Are you really ready? Unless you have a rich donor who will take care of the legal mess you create by constantly defying government orders, I suggest you find other ways to participate in the battle for full LGBT equality.

And please . . . anyone who wants to reply to this post by quoting Dr. King, Rosa Parks or Bayard Rustin – save it. You’re gettin’ on my nerves.

Update:
Snagged from an article published over on Advocate.com:

Choi, who has twice been arrested after handcuffing himself to the White House gates and has now been court ordered not to enter a certain perimeter around the White House . . .

Apr

28

Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy Criticizes Chaplains Who Want to Uphold DADT

Filed Under DADT | Leave a Comment

Statement of Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy Criticizing the Chaplains’ Letter to President Obama and Secretary Gates on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

As a longtime advocate for equal rights for all citizens, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, I am deeply troubled by the views expressed in today’s letter from a group of retired military chaplains to President Obama and Defense Secretary Gates. It is so fraught with illogical reasoning, one almost does not know where to begin in discussing its content.

The chaplains claim that their religious freedoms would be threatened if gays serve openly in the military.  Yet, repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in no way would hinder chaplains from voicing their personal moral convictions and theological doctrines. The chaplaincy should represent the diversity of faiths in the military, not simply one point of view.

Similarly, the chaplains argue that this would impact their “ability to counsel” because “service members seeking guidance regarding homosexual relationships will place chaplains in an untenable position.”  By this logic, we also should ban all service members whose gambling habits, treatment of spouses, and views on abortion, politics, or the economy are not in line with those of the chaplains. As a Baptist minister, I frequently counsel people whose beliefs on a number of subjects are not exactly in line with the religious or moral values that I embrace.  Such a challenge in counseling comes with the territory of being a clergy member.

If forced to interact with gays in the military, this group of chaplains says they will be presented with a moral conundrum. Yet, Jesus said we are to love other people as he loved us—the love of Jesus was inclusive beyond measure and graceful beyond imagination.  In fact, this Sunday, Christians around the world will be studying Jesus’ admonition for his followers to love others as he has loved them—often called “the new commandment.”  The views expressed by the chaplains are the antithesis of the themes of love and inclusion commended and demonstrated by the Christ from whom they form their religious identity. If Christian chaplains followed the teachings of Jesus they would have no problem joining any military member in prayer or spiritual thought.

Our servicemen and women deserve chaplains who support and comfort them as they carry out their military duties regardless of their individual lifestyles.  Sexual orientation is no more a hindrance to that mission now than was racial identity years ago.  Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a step forward in equality and justice for all citizens.  When chaplains find the government’s pursuit of these goals to be a threat to their values, we must ask whether something is askew with their values.

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