Feb

13

Don’t ask…ahh…too late.

Filed Under DADT | 1 Comment

Guest post by Michael Anthony

My name is Michael Anthony,  I am an Iraq war veteran and having spent six years in the Army, at the age of twenty-three, I have spent more than a quarter of my life in service to this country.  I have four older brothers and an older sister, all of whom have been in the military: Air Force, Marines and Army.  My father and both my grandfathers were in the military.

Hailing originally from a small sheltered town just south of Boston Massachusetts, I say this in all earnestness: the only gay people I know have all been in the military.  This is not a joke or some talking point, it’s literal.  Generals, Commanders and Civilians can talk all they want, but the fact of the matter is, the only gay friends I’ve had have all been in the military, in fact, my only experience of gay people(outside of the military) is when I once watched and episode of the TV show Will and Grace (it was kind of funny).

For the policy known as DADT, there is one thing people often forget.  People forget that the policy doesn’t preclude gay people from entering the military it just precludes them from talking about their homosexuality.  In short, someone can be gay in the military; they just can’t talk about being gay in the military.

If people are already in the military and gay—from my former unit alone I know close to a dozen—what is it that people are afraid will happen with the repeal of DADT?  Are people afraid that the day after DADT is rescinded; gay soldiers are going to walk in wearing a feather boa and buttless fatigues?  The uniform policy will still be in effect so we can cross that option out.  Are people afraid that it’s going to hurt troop morale?   The Military suicide rate is at a thirty year high having consistently risen for the past five years, with eighteen veterans killing themselves everyday (according to the VA) so it seems like it can’t get any worse.

With everything said, there is a negative aspect to repealing DADT.  Having been in the military all my adult years, my peer group is filled with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.  Several of these war veterans having done two or three tours, have sworn that they will never go back to Iraq or Afghanistan.  Upon further questioning on how they plan to get out deployment if called, their answer is simple: “don’t ask, don’t tell,” expounding further, they say that if they’re called up, they will simply kiss a member of the same sex—in front of their commander.  So how is repealing DADT going to affect the military?  The answer is simple…my friends who jokingly suggested using DADT as a way to get out of a deployment are now stuck going to Iraq or Afghanistan.

And please don’t even get me started on the escapades that go on overseas.  But hey, what happens in Iraq stays in Iraq…ahh not quite.

————-

Michael Anthony is the author of MASS CASUALTIES: A Young Medic’s True Story of Death, Deception and Dishonor in Iraq (Adams Media, October 2009). The book is drawn from the personal journals of Anthony during the 1st year he spent serving in Iraq. It is a non-partisan look at some of the escapades that go on behind the scenes in Iraq.

Feb

5

Interview with Willow from Join the Impact & socialist activist Sherry Wolf – #CC10

Filed Under Audio Update, DADT, LGBT, Politics, Race, Twitter | Leave a Comment

It’s been a particularly moving day for me at Creating Change (#CC10) today. I sat in on two workshops: (1) Telling: Knights Out and (2) Strengthening the Connection: Racial Justice and LGBT Rights (presented by The Applied Research Center). I was mostly pleased with the DADT workshop, until I sat in the Racial Justice workshop that mentioned a key fact about DADT that was ignored (not mentioned? forgotten?) in the DADT workshop.

The President & Executive Director of The Applied Research Center stated that Black female service members are affected by DADT more than any other group of service members. I found it a tad bit annoying that I didn’t hear that statistic in the DADT workshop – especially since 2 of the 3 presenters were women (white women, but women nonetheless).

Anyway . . . after leaving the Racial Justice workshop I felt extremely energized and, quite frankly, extremely sexually turned on. There’s something about passionate people who work diligently to secure equality for all people that’s a major form of pseudo-foreplay.

Enough about that.

I had an opportunity to speak with Willow (from Join the Impact) and socialist LGBTQ activist Sherry Wolf. I planned to remove the background noise but decided against it because I wanted the interviews to maintain their authenticity. Hope you enjoy hearing these two phenomenal activists speak about their passions as much as I did.

Willow’s interview:
http://sisterstalk.net/willow.mp3

Sherry Wolf’s interview:
http://sisterstalk.net/sherrywolf.mp3

More #CC10 commentary coming throughout the weekend. Stay tuned. And, if you’re on Twitter, follow the #CC10 tweeters.

Nov

12

Being Gay is So Scary

Filed Under DADT, LGBT | Leave a Comment

Guest post by Autumn Alston

It seems as if there is a radical revolution taking place! We must revolt before our politics is overrun by things that reek of insanity! Things like people wanting to be treated equally; people wishing to defend a country they care for; our fellow men and women yearning to simply marry the person they love. Well, what horrendous things these are, indeed! Of course, policies favoring the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer/and Questioning (LGBTQQ) community would debase the magnificence of our country and blast us into “developing nation” status. Actually though, as a heterosexual, if the above “insane things” were more true and allowed in our society, I would not fear an upcoming sort of “apocalypse” at all.

Say it with me: “if you are openly gay, you are not allowed to serve and defend the ‘greatest’ country in the world, the United States.” That statement is overtly harsh, yes, but unfortunately that is the overall theme of a policy of the U.S. entitled “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). This policy came into affect in fiscal year 1994, having been signed into law by ironically, one of my favorite presidents, Bill Clinton. Since its implementation, over 13,000 gay and lesbian (and bisexual) people have been discharged from the military. The language of this text is rather disturbing, yet reflects greatly the misconceptions and ignorance many still possess in regards to the queer community. For instance, a part of the text, somehow, at the time, perceived as a justification for such a policy, explains that if people were openly homosexual in the military, “it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.” I would love to look at this statement, which is indicative of the overarching idea behind this piece of legislation, from two angles. First, either this statement is false and just a way for self-righteous politicians to expand their anti-gay agenda even to what one would see as the most OBJECTIVE part of our nation: the military. Or, the premise behind the argument is true; further more begging the question, what would that say about us as a people?

read the rest of the article here.

Oct

20

Senator Gillibrand Tweets Meeting with DoD to Discuss DADT

Filed Under DADT, Politics | Leave a Comment

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed by New York Governor David Paterson on January 23, 2009 to replace Hillary Clinton after she became Secretary of State.

Today Gillibrand launched a new Twitter page. Her second tweet was: “I look forward to meeting with Dept of Defense officials today to discuss the latest with DADT policy.”

See the Tweet

Let’s see what becomes of that.

Oct

14

HRC: Send Me Your Money, Well, Just Because

Filed Under Bitch Slap, DADT, LGBT, WTF? | 1 Comment

Fellow blogger Jay Morris and I have been brewin’ for hours about the HRC’s latest post-NEM move. Even though we originally vowed to play nice and refrain from making nasty comments about the HRC in mixed company, their latest move encouraged us both to take off our gloves.

Piggybacking off the success of the National Equality March, this morning the HRC distributed an email to its mailing list. They patted themselves on the back for a job well done this weekend, even though the organization’s involvement with (and support of) the march was minimal – at best. Conveniently moving their annual fundraiser from its usual first Saturday of October to the second Saturday just to make it appear as if the HRC was somehow involved in the march was a shadey move that most people barely noticed. Now, the HRC is asking people to help them raise $200K so they could can supposedly continue the momentum established by the NEM’s organizers.

What.the.fuck?

The HRC just had a fancy celebrity fundraising event this weekend in DC. Where did that money go – and why do they need another $200K? And did you and every other average Joe get an invite to that event? I’m guessing you didn’t.

The HRC’s email implies that they were more involved in the NEM than they really were and it also implies that only the HRC knows how to take this momentum and run with it (all links removed – bold emphasis is mine):

After this weekend, we have a burst of momentum.

But without a major advocacy push now, it could be lost.

Watch this video and help us raise $200,000 to capitalize on this moment.

Click here to watch the video!

This weekend was big.

From President Obama’s speech at our National Dinner to final House passage of hate crimes to the National Equality March, the nation’s attention is on LGBT equality – we have a burst of momentum.

But this is no time to grow complacent. We need your help to capitalize on this moment.

The next month and a half will be tough – while we fight against anti-LGBT ballot initiatives in multiple states, we must also act NOW to push our federal agenda to its tipping point, or we could miss this window.

We need to raise $200,000 for a renewed effort to seize this opportunity and advance our federal agenda and fight for marriage equality in the states without delay. Will you be part of this fight? (see full email document here)

Oh, I will be more than happy to be a part of the gay rights fight, but I’m not playing on the HRC’s team. It’s been almost 30 years since the HRC’s formation and the LGBTQ community has not seen a single federal law passed that protects our community from workplace discrimination, nor have we seen a repeal of DOMA or DADT. Instead, we’ve watched the HRC encourage the LGBTQ community to continue supporting politicians like Bill and Hillary Clinton, the folks who gave us DOMA and DADT.

Now why, I ask you, would any queer with half a brain continue to send any of their hard-earned money to this organization?

It is my hope that the new generation of LGBTQ activists we saw come out in droves this weekend in DC are committed to supporting true progressive organizations that want our money for something other than: paying their president his $390K annual salary, hosting celebrity galas that the average gay American can’t afford to attend and smoozin’ with big shots in corporate America who talk the talk way more than they walk it. Please, I ask you to send your money to campaigns like No on 1 in Maine and other local organizations that are willing to get out, pound doors and speak to our supporters and opponents face-to-face.

I agree with those who say gay organizations should learn to work together and stop all the bickering amongst themselves. I wish I didn’t feel compelled to bitch slap the HRC and air my grievances with the oldest “gay rights” organization in the country via this blog post. But, keeping quiet means the HRC will continue to take valuable dollars from gay rights supporters who mistakenly assume the organization is working to secure full equality on both a federal and state level for the LGBTQ community. It’s time for those dollars to go elsewhere – maybe then we’ll see some real progress.

Related:
We The People and the HRC
Boycott the HRC

Jul

13

Obama Uses The Word ‘Change’ Instead of ‘Repeal’ When Asked About DADT

Filed Under Barack Obama, DADT, LGBT, Politics | 5 Comments

Anderson Cooper spoke with President Obama about the Clinton administration’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy. Obama stated that while he’d like to see DADT changed (sooner, rather than later), he insisted it’s not appropriate for the president to say he won’t enforce a law that’s constitutionally valid. Obama stated: “I do think that there’s the possibility, though, that we change how the law is being enforced even as we are pursuing a shift in congressional policy.”

What’s interesting to note here is that Obama used the word “changed” instead of “repealed,” although he recently called on Congress to repeal both DADT and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

I don’t know about anybody else, but I’d like to beat Bill and Hillary Clinton with a nail-spiked baseball bat. The Clinton administration left a mess for Obama to clean up.

Jun

29

Obama Calls on Congress to Repeal Anti-Gay DOMA and DADT

Filed Under Barack Obama, DADT, LGBT, Politics | 2 Comments

At a press conference designed to appease Obama critics in the LGBT community, President Obama said “I’ve called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act to help end discrimination to help end discrimination against same-sex couples in this country.”

I’ve called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act to help end discrimination — to help end discrimination against same-sex couples in this country. Now, I want to add we have a duty to uphold existing law, but I believe we must do so in a way that does not exacerbate old divides. And fulfilling this duty in upholding the law in no way lessens my commitment to reversing this law. I’ve made that clear.

I’m also urging Congress to pass the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act, which will guarantee the full range of benefits, including health care, to LGBT couples and their children. My administration is also working hard to pass an employee non-discrimination bill and hate crimes bill, and we’re making progress on both fronts. Judy and Dennis Shepard, as well as their son Logan, are here today. I met with Judy in the Oval Office in May — and I assured her and I assured all of you that we are going to pass an inclusive hate crimes bill into law, a bill named for their son Matthew.

. . .

And finally, I want to say a word about “don’t ask, don’t tell.” As I said before — I’ll say it again — I believe “don’t ask, don’t tell” doesn’t contribute to our national security. In fact, I believe preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens our national security.

During the press conference, Obama also called out anti-gay Black Americans – a move I’m sure will make those upper-class white male homosexuals over at HRC very, very happy:

Now, even as we take these steps, we must recognize that real progress depends not only on the laws we change but, as I said before, on the hearts we open. For if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that there are good and decent people in this country who don’t yet fully embrace their gay brothers and sisters — not yet.

That’s why I’ve spoken about these issues not just in front of you, but in front of unlikely audiences — in front of African American church members, in front of other audiences that have traditionally resisted these changes. And that’s what I’ll continue to do so. That’s how we’ll shift attitudes. That’s how we’ll honor the legacy of leaders like Frank and many others who have refused to accept anything less than full and equal citizenship.

The LGBT community has heard Obama promise to repeal DADT and DOMA for quite some time now. WHEN will we actually see some action?

Jun

1

White House Issues Statement on Gay Pride Month

Filed Under Barack Obama, DADT, Gays, Lesbians | 1 Comment

The White House just issued a statement on LGBT Pride 2009. This will annoy the hell out of anti-gay organizations like AFA and NOM:

Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.

LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country’s response to the HIV pandemic.

It’s nice to see Obama claims he respects the contributions the gay community makes to society. He can prove it by repealing Clinton’s DADT and DOMA.

Read the rest of the statement.

Mar

31

DADT Not a Pressing Issue for Obama or Gates

Filed Under Barack Obama, DADT, LGBT | Leave a Comment

The AP reports:

Don’t expect any change soon to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about gays in the military.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says both he and President Barack Obama have “a lot on our plates right now.” As Gates puts it, “let’s push that one down the road a little bit.”

The White House has said Obama has begun consulting with Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on how to lift the ban. Gates says that dialogue has not really progressed very far at this point in the administration.

Over 1000 retired military officers are encouraging Obama to maintain the law that bars homosexuals from serving openly in the military.

Personally, I’m thinking if the Clintons hadn’t fucked over gays to begin with, we wouldn’t even have this issue.



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