|
The Beginning of the End for DADT
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, today called for the military to end the DADT policy and allow gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly:
"No matter how I look at the issue," Mullen said, "I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens." Noting that he was speaking for himself and not for the other service chiefs, Mullen added: "For me, it comes down to integrity – theirs as individuals and ours as an institution." I couldn't have said it better myself. Even though I'm too old to get my military career back, I'm happy to see this happen. It's been too long coming. Cheers Aj |
Very well said.. I have many friends there were and are in the military. It saddens me the trouble they have encountered because of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Policy in particular my friends that came home from Iraq and defended our country that now suffer from the trauma of all the things they have seen. If my friends were able to get the therapy they "really" need then being able to "be whom they are" is part of that therapy. But by god DON'T ASK DON'T TELL...
So God Bless him for "speaking" the words we so need to "stop"!!! |
I have slightly mixed feelings....
On the one hand, I'm glad to hear this..One step at a time, baby steps but still, it's a step forward, so future generations can proudly, Openly, shamelessly serve their Country... On the other hand, I'm saddened it took the Powers-that-Be this long to meditate and come to such a conclusion...Had they done so 10-ish yrs ago{more or less when Clinton slapped us with it}, and abolished DADT, I honestly feel I'd probably be a part of the USMC JAG Corps at this point.....Unfortunately, the age factor..and Health keep me from pursuing if they finally accept LGBTQ... Perhaps this will lead the way towards Equality in Marriage, Housing, Adoption etc ..Federally... |
I like this news. For future generations to come, will not have to endure what we have up until now. It was like segregation back in the day. The military put a stop to it. If you serve your country, side by side it didn't matter what color you were. With being able to serve openly and proudly, this may open the door in the future everywhere. We have a voice and we re being heard. I'll end using these ever famous words.....we've come a long way baby to get where we got to today.
|
wiki: quick reference...So why does a study need to be done?
Countries that allow homosexuals to serve in the military
2.1 Argentina 2.2 Australia 2.3 Austria 2.4 Belgium 2.5 Bermuda 2.6 Brazil 2.7 Canada 2.8 Czech Republic 2.9 Denmark 2.10 Estonia 2.11 Finland 2.12 France 2.13 Germany 2.14 Ireland 2.15 Israel 2.16 Italy 2.17 Lithuania 2.18 Luxembourg 2.19 The Netherlands 2.20 New Zealand 2.21 Norway 2.22 Peru 2.23 Philippines 2.24 Romania 2.25 Slovenia 2.26 South Africa 2.27 Spain 2.28 Sweden 2.29 Switzerland 2.30 United Kingdom 2.31 Uruguay |
|
I served prior to DADT and I can tell you that, back then, it was even worse. I remember the witch hunts when, specifically, the US Navy and US Marine Corps had a specific division within CID, called "NIS" (Naval Investigative Service) that pursued, prosecuted and then summarily discharged (many with less than honorable discharges) gay and lesbian Sailors and Marines. It was going on in the other branches, too, and it was bad. Many MANY good, squared away service members lost careers and were further punished with less than desirable character grades on their DD214's that would mar them for life. Yes, it was worse. When I enlisted, recruiters outright asked about sexual orientation. If you answered that you were, or possessed homosexual tendencies, you were automatically disqualified. Door closed. Sorry. We. Don't. Want. You. Goodbye.
When DADT came in, I thought to myself that maybe things might be a little easier...and in a sense, they were. You see, I remember the investigations where some of the Marines I served with were dragged into the offices of investigagors and coerced to reveal names of others in exchange for (false) promises of "leniency" in their own treatment, etc. Entire investigations seemed to grow "arms" that way, like an octopus, and then the harassment and punishment would commence. I had a friend who was a (straight) supply Sgt. and they even pulled her in and wanted to discharge her on someone else's heresay, because she had ONCE been spotted in a gay club (the old Peanuts club) in Los Angeles. Yes, I remember that night when she went partying with some of our group....with her boyfriend....because she was our friend and wasn't gay at all. The fact that she was seen going into a gay club was reason enough. You see, NIS had agents they'd station outside of the known gay clubs. They also had agents inside. The one outside would stand around and watch the cars pull up. If a car had a base sticker on it, they wrote the name down as a suspected gay. Inside, the agent would try to talk to the customers, or stand around at the door and see who used a military ID for proof of age to get in. The agent would then try to get that person's name. It was ridiculous. So yes, when DADT came in, I had hoped that things would get a little easier. Something about that "don't pursue" clause. Nowdays, I work with young service members, both officer and enlisted, because it's a medical environment. These "kids" give me hope that things are, indeed, changing. I see these young people and they are so open minded, on the whole. Yes, there's a few that have some fairly "conservative" prejudicial notions/ideas, but when you find one of them, they usually keep pretty quiet because their peers, who usually outnumber them, tell them "Hey, that's not cool, yanno." As a transgendered man, I have to say that I've gotten more respect and acceptance from these young military members than I've gotten from the (older) civilian employees of my own agency, and I successfully and openly transitioned at work. For this, I have even more hope. These kids aren't daunted or afraid of gays, lesbians or even transfolk who might be serving alongside of them. Hell, most of them know someone, or have a gay family member and they're very accepting of other kinds of people. Of course, I can't speak for other kinds of military environments. I know that there are some unit cultures that, if I were a gay male, I'd be afraid....VERY afraid....to reveal my orientation to. In the Marine Corps, for example, If I were a gay male Marine, I wouldn't be very comfortable serving in an infantry or combat arms unit. The culture is different in something like that than it would be in, say, a supply or administrative, or even communications unit. I have, in the past, known a couple of gay male Marines who did serve (verrrrry discreetly, of course) in combat units. I know I may not hold a "politically correct" view when I say this, but I happen to think that, for everyone....gay, straight, bi, pansexual....it IS a question of conduct. Bottom line is that the person is there to do a job and it shouldn't matter one iota what that person's gender OR sexual orientation is. You're there to do a job. If you do that job well, then anything in your personal life is your business and none of anyone else's. Just like offensive conduct of any sexual nature is, and should be, excluded from the workplace, it shouldn't matter who perpetrates it...gay, straight, bi, pansexual, etc. It IS a question of conduct and everyone should be held to account if it is inappropriate for a workplace or interferes with an objective or mission. I happen to think that an inappropriate heterosexual "office affair" is most definitely a morale-dropping, inappropriate, counterproductive distraction that can adversely interfere with a workplace's mission. It doesn't matter if it's gay or straight....it disrupts what should be a professional environment and distracts from the work that needs to be done. Period. Clinton definitely sold us out with the DADT policy, but it was, to me, a slight improvement over what was happening before. It's time to make it even better now and to remove all restrictions on gays, lesbians and bisexuals who want to do their bit and serve. It's the right thing to do and no other option should be considered or "settled" for. ~Theo~ :bouquet: |
I really enjoyed this NYT OpEd today on the topic:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/op...ml?ref=opinion Enjoy! :) |
Quote:
|
I hope it's ok to post this here. I received this email today and thought that it might be of interest. Please call your Senators!
************************************************** ******************************************* This morning, Sen. Joe Lieberman made history, introducing legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- the first bill ever introduced in the U.S. Senate to end this discriminatory policy. Sen. Carl Levin, the powerful Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand joined Sen. Lieberman in introducing this landmark legislation. Sen. Lieberman's "Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010" closely mirrors a similar bill in the House of Representatives, championed by Rep. Patrick Murphy, that would repeal the law that prevents gay Americans from serving openly in the military. Now we need to help Sen. Lieberman and Sen. Levin get the votes in the Senate that will repeal DADT once and for all. My job -- my life -- is on the line. And so are the lives of more than 65,000 gay men and women currently serving in our nation's military. That's why I need your help. And it's why the Courage Campaign is teaming up with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Knights Out to get this message to you. It's very important that we act today -- thousands of us across America. Can you make a quick call right now urging your Senators to co-sponsor the Lieberman/Levin bill? It will take just a minute of your time, but your call will mean the world to me and so many of my fellow soldiers: http://www.couragecampaign.org/OneQuickCall Make no mistake: Congress needs to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" this year -- before the November elections. Right now, we're fighting on two fronts to repeal DADT in 2010: 1) Include repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the defense budget authorization bill, or 2) Pass the "Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010" in the Senate and House of Representatives With the Lieberman/Levin landmark legislation being introduced today, the most important thing you can do right now is help us build momentum behind it. The more senators who sign on as co-sponsors, the more likely we can repeal DADT in 2010 -- on one front or the other. Can you make a quick call urging your Senators to sign on as a co-sponsor to Sen. Lieberman's new bill? Click here to get the phone number and check out our really short script, if you need it: http://www.couragecampaign.org/OneQuickCall Again, thank you for your support today. One small action at a time, we will finally get rid of this discriminatory and immoral law. Daniel W. Choi 1LT, IN New York Army National Guard P.S. A few weeks ago, I joined Sen. Gillibrand and more than 900 people who signed up for a "Courage Campaign Conversation" conference call to discuss the repeal of DADT. If you would like to listen to this special hour-long discussion, just click here: http://www.couragecampaign.org/ChoiGillibrandCall |
Yesterday afternoon on KGO Talk Radio DADT was the topic of conversation. The guest was a discharged soilder because he was gay. He is now an activist to change the current policy, and law of DADT.
Apparently it is only a question of when this will be repealed in Congress. The next question is how quickly will the rescind be implemented? Some thing it should be done gradually; others think it should be done swiftly and in its entirety. This strategy would serve to deter any discrepancies regarding allowing gays to serve "openly" in the military. Aj, you are never too old. IMO, it is our country's loss that they could not find a way to utilize your "older" brain in service to the USA. One of my brother's who is over 50 reinlisted and just finished serving a tour of duty in Iraq as a chaplain. |
|
|
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25JKp4rNACY"]YouTube- Rachel Maddow- Bias defends Dont ask_ dont tell policy[/ame]
|
|
Quote:
|
Obama heckled by DADT protesters at Boxer fundraiser
|
I can understand being Heckled if you oppose certain measures, policies etc...
Other than successfully pissing off Supporters.. What exactly does it Prove? I know he needs reminding from time to time..dang.. :seeingstars: |
Gay Veterans Chain Themselves to White House Gate
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_544586.html
I thought it was an interesting choice for the AP reporter to state that hecklers "screamed at" Obama. "Screamed"? Really? |
Quote:
I personally think it proves more than anything else that we LGBT folks are getting very very tired of the people we fight to place in office not doing their jobs. I don't think he should need reminding. He made it clear when running for office that equal human rights was at the forefront of his agenda. Have at it big boy! Why is it that it has taken so long to figure out how to repeal DADT? Seems easier to do just about anything than to make it illegal to discriminate against homosexuals. Frankly, I think Bill was trying to do the right thing with gays when DADT first came about. Seemed reasonable.. let's not talk about it, then there won't be discrimination. No one saw AT THE TIME, that it would be turned against us. Until we have laws making our rights ( ALL of our rights) equal to those of our heterosexual neighbors, we will remain less than second class citizens. |
Via JoeMyGod: The Senate Armed Services Committee: Where They Stand On Repeal Of DADT
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t6rV3U9ZEH...0/DADTgrid.jpg
GetEQUAL sends us the above grid detailing the known (and unknown) DADT positions of Senators that serve on the Armed Services Committee. GetEQUAL: "These are very important targets to go after in the next 30 days with non-violent direct action and civil disobedience. It is of utmost importance that you contact ALL these Senators and express the importance of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell." They suggest using these talking points when calling the above Senators. ---------------- Also: GetEQUAL is sitting in at Sen. John McCain's office in Arizona. Follow the developments on their Twitter feed. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t6rV3U9ZEH...qualTweet2.jpg |
TN Congressional candidates: Gays were 'taken care of' when they were in military
Physicians Ron Kirkland of Jackson and George Flinn of Memphis were among the candidates Thursday night who talked largely about how they're against the Obama administration and its policies, according to The Jackson Sun. The candidates criticized the administration for wanting to overturn the gay policy, which prevents gays from serving openly in the military. President Barack Obama has called on Congress to lift the ban, and military officials are examining how to do that. ..... Kirkland, a Vietnam veteran, said of his time in the military: "I can tell you if there were any homosexuals in that group, they were taken care of in ways I can't describe to you." Smith, who served in the first Iraqi war, added: "I definitely wouldn't want to share a shower with a homosexual. We took care of that kind of stuff, just like (Kirkland) said." The Tennessee Republican Party had no comment about the candidates statements when contacted by The Associated Press on Friday. |
|
Please read the message below about efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this year. Please call the Speaker (and your representative) to push the vote now. If you are willing to take one more step, please send this out to supporters, friends and families and flood their offices with calls.
Next week, game-changing votes in the U.S. House and Senate could make or break the fate of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal efforts in 2010. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) is expected to offer an amendment to the House version of the Defense Authorization bill that would overturn DADT. Similar action is also expected in the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 27. For Rep. Murphy's amendment to be offered, however, the Speaker of the House must first schedule a vote. And that's where we need your help - right now. Urge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to schedule a vote on Rep. Murphy's repeal amendment to the Defense Authorization bill next week. Call Speaker Pelosi today. (202) 225-0100 The fight for repeal in 2010 hangs in the balance. A few votes could make the difference between victory and defeat. Each representative's vote will count. You can find your Representative at http://www.congress.org/ Call your representative today to say that waiting another year for repeal is not an option. Ask your Member of Congress for the repeal vote. (202) 225-3121 We are on the brink of victory, but we aren't there yet. We can make next week's House vote a historic win if we pull out all the stops and push even harder now. We are closer to achieving repeal than ever before. Help us get to the finish line. Thank you. Aubrey Sarvis SLDN Executive Director P.S. On Saturday, May 22, we will celebrate Harvey Milk's 80th birthday. His life reminds us that discrimination against LGBT people is still alive today, and that if we want full equality we have to fight for it. Stand up (http://www.sldn.org/action) for our gay and lesbian service members who continue to suffer from the discrimination that Harvey dedicated his life to ending. |
|
as my grandmother used to say:
'bless their poor little pea picking hearts.....they just don't know no better.......' |
An end to this policy is long overdue. My little sister served in the coast guard...and she had to do it in silence. It put a lot of stress on relationship at the time. I don't know how she did it for so many years.
|
Quote:
Hear!!! Hear!!! |
Yuma, Ariz Mayor, Al Krieger: "lacy-drawered, limp-wristed people"
His apology: “As mayor I must respect the lifestyle choices of others, no matter how disagreeable they are with my personal beliefs or my personal moral standards. I apologize for my comments at the Memorial Day service at Desert Lawn cemetery on Memorial Day.” |
This isn't good news:
Gates: Veto possible of military gay ban bill Quote:
|
|
|
concerning the Pentagon survey on gays sent to soldiers:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-..._b_643405.html http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,6119129.story |
Quote:
If the idiots in Congress that don't want to see it repealed would not do things like putting in a bill that also appropriates money that both Obama and Defense Secretary Gates thinks is wastefull, it would be a done deal! Just continued polital tactics by right-wing homophobes! |
|
article regarding DADT survey/ Choi interview
|
GetEQUAL Blocks Las Vegas Strip
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t6rV3U9ZEH...qualVegas1.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t6rV3U9ZEH...EqualVegas.jpg Eight members of GetEqual, including Robin McGehee and Dan Choi, were arrested in Las Vegas today after blocking traffic on the city's busiest street in protest of perceived inaction on the repeal of DADT by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). (JMG) |
|
Quote:
|
The "end" not coming fast enough. Good soldiers losing careers is such a sad injustice.
From Rachel Maddow, Capt. Hopkins: Just Fired from the Army for Being Gay http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540...68288#38668288 |
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:17 PM. |
ButchFemmePlanet.com
All information copyright of BFP 2018