Compelling New Photobook Details the Isolation Facing Gay Service Members under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
February 3, 2010
In 2008, GLAAD began to follow the work of Los Angeles-based photographer Jeff Sheng.
Sheng’s first photo series “Fearless,” which profiled openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes, quickly attracted both national and international attention. The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, OUT Magazine and The Advocate among others celebrated Jeff’s spellbinding portraits of LGBT athletes across the nation.
Now, Sheng lends his photographic eye to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the 1993 law that bans openly gay and lesbian service members in the United States armed forces.
Sheng’s new photobook, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Volume I,” is the first-ever portrait series that features the images and stories of gay and lesbian service members currently serving under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.
Sheng uses lighting and shadow effects to mask part or all of his subjects’ faces in a dramatic collection of portraits that capture the isolation that burdens gay and lesbian service members in the United States military.
“Ultimately for me, these photographs underscore the silence permeating the unsung heroism of gay and lesbian military personal,” said Sheng. “The photos are about the men and women who continue to fight and serve despite the heartbreaking invisibility they suffer.”
(More photos are available below)
Sheng complements the portraits with emails written by closeted military personnel who languish in the grips of secrecy. “I didn’t understand it at all,” a soldier writes. “After all I had been through, all of it could be set on the back burner and in an instant I could go from war hero to the gay soldier that was discharged. How could this be right?”
GLAAD is proud to be working alongside Jeff to promote this compelling new photo series that shows the concrete harms inflicted on gay and lesbian United States military personnel who are forced to lie about who they are. GLAAD continues to pitch the project to mainstream media outlets across the country.
For more information on Jeff Sheng’s new photobook, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Volume I,” visit www.jeffsheng.com
Top Military Officials Speak Out in Support of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal; Media Responds
February 3, 2010
Secretary General Robert M. Gates
Yesterday, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael G. Mullen, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he personally supports the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) because “it’s the right thing to do.”
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates also spoke about the repeal, saying it “is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it.”
Today, mainstream media are reacting to the military officials’ call to scrap the ban on openly gay service members in the United States armed forces.
The New York Times published an editorial today that echoes the call to lift the ban:
The United States has traveled far since 1993 on gay rights. It is ready for a military built on a commitment to equal rights for all.
The editorial also counters Rep. John Boehner’s (R-OH) assertion that it is not the right time to end the ban amidst two wars. “In fact, it is an ideal time,” says The New York Times. “The armed forces need every qualified person who wants to serve.”
The Los Angeles Times also published an op-ed today in favor of repeal. In it, Senior Research Fellow at the Palm Center, Nathaniel Frank, writes that the military’s newly announced year-long assessment of DADT “is nothing but a delaying tactic.”
“The issue has been studied for half a century,” Frank writes. “… It only gives political obstructionists and moral opponents of equality for gays the chance to sow doubt and fear in an effort to derail reform.”
In response to Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) firm remarks at yesterday’s Senate hearings in opposition to a possible repeal, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow pointed out last night that Sen. McCain once supported an end to the ban and goes on to interview Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach who stands strong in favor of the repeal.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed. I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.
GLAAD continues to work with national news outlets to ensure that the concrete harms inflicted by DADT are exposed in both print and broadcast media.
Related Posts:President Obama Captures National Media Attention with Call to Repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
January 29, 2010
Mainstream media reported extensively this week about President Obama’s call to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell during his first State of the Union address:
“This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.”
The possible repeal gained further attention on Thursday after Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell announced that the Defense Department will hear testimony on Tuesday from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, that will “identify specific steps the military will take before the law is changed to lessen the impact on a force fighting two wars.”
MSNBC added to that report with speculation that the military might adopt an “interim policy” before full repeal of the law that could “ease the number of discharges and investigations that take place under the policy.”
GLAAD will continue to follow the media’s coverage of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:Sen. Majority Leader Pens Letter to President Advocating Repeal of DADT; Pentagon Publishes Its Own Critique
October 2, 2009
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has asked the president to bring recommendations on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to congress in a letter dated Sept. 24, The Huffington Post reported on Thursday.
Reid, who supports the repeal of DADT, stressed that barring LGB people from serving openly in the military critically weakens our nation’s forces during a time of war:
It has become clear that a number of individuals with skills essential to winning our struggle against terrorism and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan – such as Arabic linguists and intelligence analysts—have been forced to leave the Armed Forces as a result of the current policy. At a time when we are fighting two wars, I do not believe we can afford to discharge any qualified individual who is willing to serve our country.
Reid went on to say that “the time has come for the military and civilian leadership of the U.S. government to review DADT and evaluate whether the policy is in the best interests of our country.”
Reid’s appeal to President Obama came just days before the Pentagon’s top publication Joint Force Quarterly, the official paper of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, published a 7-page spread criticizing DADT. That article, titled “The Efficacy of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’,” takes Sen. Reid’s evaluation a step further and insists that the time for repeal has come:
It is not time for the administration to reexamine the issue; rather it is time for the administration to examine how to implement the repeal of the ban.
The article takes on DADT from all angles, and ultimately concludes that the policy “has been costly both in personnel and treasure… [and] ultimately more damaging to the unit cohesion its stated purpose is to preserve.”
In an article published in The New York Times on Wednesday, reporter Elisabeth Bumiller noted that the article marks an “unusual show of support for allowing gay and lesbian service members to serve openly.”
Bumiller also clarified that while the article “carries no weight as a matter of policy,” it may, however, “signal a shift in the official winds.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, reportedly reviewed the piece prior to its publication, but had no comment on the article when asked for his opinion by the Times.
Related Posts:National Coming Out Day Billboard ‘Ripped to Shreds’ in Memphis
September 28, 2009
Memphis Flyer reported on Monday that a billboard which depicted a U.S. Marine alongside the words “I’m gay and I protected your freedom” was “ripped to shreds” late Friday night. The billboard was sponsored by the Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center (MGLCC) and was meant to highlight National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.
The marine featured on the billboard is Tim Smith, a Memphis local. Smith served from 2001-2004 and was discharged under the discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy just 20 days before he was set to deploy to Iraq.
“We choose not to be stopped by fear. Instead, our community unites in solidarity and with the belief that we too deserve equality,” said MGLCC director Will Batts in a statement released on Saturday. “Although we are saddened by yesterday’s hateful expression of intolerance, we are proud of the local Memphian that chose to be the face on the billboard.”
Four other billboards, also sponsored by MGLCC, are still intact across the Memphis area.
Memphis Commercial Appeal reported on Monday that MGLCC has spoken with Clear Channel, which owns the billboard, and plans have been made to have the billboard restored.
GLAAD will continue to update readers on the media’s coverage of this incident and updates can be found on GLAADblog.org.
Related Posts:NY Senator May Propose Moratorium on DADT
July 14, 2009
Online news aggregator The Daily Beast reports that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) may amend a Defense reauthorization bill to include an 18-month moratorium on the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. The bill may be taken up by the Senate as early as Tuesday.
When CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked President Obama on Monday about the 1993 law that bars LGBT people from serving openly in the armed forces, President Obama replied with a firm “I want to see this law changed.”
That statement drew tough criticism from LGBT advocates, like John Aravosis, author of AMERICAblog, who cried foul on the President’s word choice of “change” rather than “repeal.” Aravosis accuses the President of subtly recanting his campaign promise to fully repeal DADT, and instead believes that the Obama administration will fall short of a full repeal and simply edit the existing law.
In any case, the President has often expressed his opposition to the policy, but rarely has he given any indication as to when it is likely to be overturned. When Anderson Cooper asked the President about a timeframe for “the change,” the President insisted:
I’d like to see it done sooner rather than later and we’ve begun a process to not only work it through congress but also to make sure that the Pentagon has thought through all the ramifications of how this would be most effective.
The Obama administration has faced scrutiny recently from LGBT leaders who criticize the President’s hesitation in fulfilling his campaign promises to the community. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ has become an especially contentious subject after the University of California at Santa Barbara’s ‘Palm Center’ pointed out that the President has proper authority under the law to suspend DADT during a time of war. President Obama, however, has stressed that he only supports repealing the policy through congressional legislation.
Sen. Gillibrand’s amendment, if passed, could expedite an end to the policy in a fashion that suits the president’s wishes while simultaneously granting congress time to consider more permanent revisions.
Meanwhile The Advocate reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will support the amendment and even believes Sen. Gillibrand’s proposal could be improved. “I would make it permanent,” Sen. Reid commented. The Advocate also purports that “several other senators” are deliberating the opportunity to present the amendment in the Senate.
GLAAD will continue to monitor the media’s coverage of the White House’s stance on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’.
Related Posts:UPDATE: Military Board Recommends Dismissal of Lt. Dan Choi
July 1, 2009
On Tuesday, a military administrative board recommended that Lt. Dan Choi – Iraq war veteran, Arabic linguist, and member of the LGBT service member’s organization Knights Out – be discharged from the National Guard under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. The panel of military administrators heard Choi’s testimony and, after four hours of deliberation, submitted their recommendation.
Lt. Choi became one of the leading advocates for the repeal of DADT after coming out in March in the Army Times newspaper and on The Rachel Maddow Show.
In a statement to MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, Lt. Choi responded to the decision saying, “I’m disappointed but I need to send a message to my soldiers that if you get knocked down, get yourself back up and keep fighting. What kind of officer or leader would I be if I gave up?”
Lt. Choi’s case now goes to the First Army commander and the chief of the National Guard Bureau for review. If discharged, Lt. Choi will become the 266th service member to be dismissed under DADT since President Obama took office in January 2009.
News of Lt. Choi’s dismissal comes after a slew of media coverage of DADT in the past week:
Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued a statement indicating that he wants to make the implementation of DADT “more humane” until Congress can address its possible repeal. Secretary Gates stated he has lawyers studying ways the law might be “selectively enforced.”
The White House also issued this response to a question regarding the timetable for the repeal of the policy:
Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach appeared on Tuesday’s CNN Newsroom to discuss his own pending dismissal. The 19-year veteran spoke with President Obama at this week’s White House reception celebrating the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. Although the Lt. Col. was hopeful for President Obama’s movement on DADT, he did not appear as hopeful for his own pending case:
“I think that I may end up being discharged at the end of the day, but if the law’s repealed, then that’s—that’s for the greater good. I hope that, if it is repealed, then maybe I can come right back in the military and finish out my career.”
On Monday’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, Chuck Todd interviewed openly gay Rep. Jared Polis of Colo. During the interview, Rep. Polis voiced his support for the repeal of DADT saying:
“Really, the only area where I have seen any disagreement over this is under the Capital dome. I think we need to make a lot of progress on that. The American people and the military are more than ready.”
Keith Olbermann brought on writer and LGBT advocate Dan Savage on Countdown to discuss President Obama’s addressing of DADT during the White House reception in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
Savage brought up the interesting comparison between Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s suspension of the “widower’s penalty” – a policy which requires the deportation of non-citizen widowers of U.S. citizens – to the reluctance of the Obama administration to halt DADT dismissals. Savage sarcastically joked, “[Napolitano] seems to have authorities and powers that the President, her boss, Commander-in-Chief does not.”
We’ll keep you updated as Lt. Choi’s case progresses.
Related Posts:National Media Analyze Presidential Memo on Benefit Package for Same-Sex Partners of Federal Employees
June 18, 2009
President Obama signed a memorandum on Wednesday that extends limited benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees.
Among those benefits is the right for a same-sex partner to use American medical facilities abroad as well as the right for a federal employee to take a leave of absence to nurse a sick partner or non-biological child to health.
Healthcare and retirement benefits, however, are precluded from the President’s package leaving some LGBT advocates dissatisfied with both yesterday’s memorandum and the President’s hesitance to fulfill his LGBT campaign promises.
Rachel Maddow covered the breaking news on her MSNBC program this past Tuesday:
An editorial in The New York Times, published on Wednesday, candidly exposed the discrimination rooted in excluding same-sex partners from federal healthcare and retirement packages:
Since benefits are an important part of employment compensation, gay people are effectively being paid less than their heterosexual peers for doing the same work.
The Times went on to clarify that while the new benefits are certainly a mark of progress, it is still “impossible to ignore how much of the glass is not full” and urged President Obama to fulfill his campaign pledges and “work to allow gay people to serve openly in the military and to persuade Congress to bar discrimination against gay people in employment.”
Similarly, in a June 18 article, “Gay Couples Express Hope over Benefits Extension,” The Washington Post profiled three gay and lesbian federal employees, all of whom are hoping for further action on the parts of the President and U.S. congress:
Jamie Price, a lawyer with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said she hopes Obama’s action will “perhaps spur Congress” into approving the bipartisan legislation that would provide domestic partners of federal workers the same benefits as the spouses of federal employees.
President Obama has expressed his full support for such legislation.
Although the President did not directly address transgender people in his speech yesterday, the National Center for Transgender Equality reported on Wednesday that:
Officials [NCTE] spoke with today reconfirmed that the decision is firm that the new guidelines to agencies and departments will make clear that discrimination based on gender identity and expression is forbidden under civil service policies and that the policy will be enforced by this Administration.
The Associated Press reported that John Berry, head of the Office of Personnel Management and the highest ranking gay person in the Obama administration declared yesterday’s memorandum to be “a first step – not a final step” in President Obama’s pursuit of LGBT equality.
The blogosphere is also full of praise and criticism of President Obama’s federal employee memorandum.
Leonard Hirsch penned a thankful note to the Administration on Thursday via Bilerico.com:
Thank you, President Obama and your team (you know who you are). Thank you, Secretary Clinton and GLIFAA (Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies) for taking an important lead on these issues during this Administration.
Though Hirsch goes on to say “We still have much to do for LGBT equality and to eliminate hate, discrimination and harassment in our society and our laws” – a point of clarification that Rea Carey, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, took up in her Huffington Post piece, “Our Moral Imperative.”
In the piece, Carey admonished last week’s Department of Justice brief that defended the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) saying it was “not merely disappointing, it was a public abrogation of the promise of equality the president himself embraced as a candidate.” She goes on to list dozens of policies on which the President can take immediate action in a move toward LGBT equality. Carey does give credit where it is due, echoing White House officials in calling the President’s memorandum ‘a first step’.
Bilerico.com went on to publish the transcripts of yesterday’s White House press briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, during which Press Secretary Gibbs was pressed for answers on several LGBT issues. Among the most noteworthy of responses was one in which a timeline for the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was disclosed:
Q: Okay. And on-just one more time on DOMA, “don’t ask, don’t tell” timeline, does the President want to see that overturned in this Congress? I mean, is there a plan to do that in this Congress?
MR. GIBBS: I think, as Senator Reid said, it’s something we can do in this Congress and it’s something that the President is working with members of Congress, working with-on “don’t ask, don’t tell,” working with the Pentagon to ensure that that happens. Yes, ma’am.
GLAAD will continue to monitor media reports of the Obama Administration’s stance and actions on LGBT issues.
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Related Posts:EXCLUSIVE: Response Letter From 2nd Lieutenant Sandy Tsao on Discharge Over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
May 14, 2009
In the past couple of weeks, we have witnessed an unprecedented amount of media coverage on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). Over time, the American people have come to understand the ramifications of the military ban and its devastating impact on our armed forces, through stories from the service members affected by it.
I had the distinct privilege of assisting one of those soldiers, helping to share her story. Today, with her permission, I’m exclusively sharing her final words on the matter before her discharge under the DADT policy next Tuesday.
A little bit of background – On January 28, I received a touching email from a woman by the name of Sandy Tsao. She identified herself as a Chinese American Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, based in Missouri, who had made the brave decision to come out as a gay woman. She had met with her commanding officer to share the news, even though she was aware that the conversation would cause an end to her service.
In her first email to me, she wrote:
Besides God, being able to serve and being myself are the most important things to me… I am all sincerely yours just let me know what I need to do.
She also wrote a letter to President Obama, pleading for him to repeal the military ban so she continue to serve her country. On January 29, she had emailed me that the White House received her letter and it was under review.
She also wrote:
“I sincerely appreciate your help and your team’s hard work. I have signed my paperwork today for the charges and will be beginning my case shortly. Thank you for keeping my personal information confidential, I only want myself to be solely responsible in anything that may happen should the outcome be negative.”
With Sandy’s approval, we began pitching her personal story to national media outlets with strong records of coverage on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. But we didn’t receive a single reply. So we took her story to Asian Pacific Islander media outlets, leading to major hits in The World Journal, a Chinese language daily newspaper and Audrey, a magazine for Asian American women. In her Audrey op-ed, she explained the reasons for coming out and why she wanted to continue serving her country. Sandy also shared her story with The Windy City Times that resulted in their reporting here.
On April 30, Quinnipiac conducted a national poll, with 60% of participants agreeing that not allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the military is discrimination. Public opinion over DADT was on Sandy’s side.
The Note Sent by President Obama to Sandy (Click to view full size)
So was President Obama. On May 5, Sandy emailed me with some exciting news – The White House had mailed her a personal handwritten note from President Obama. She also enclosed a copy of the letter in her email.
She wrote:
“I received this on Cinco de Mayo. Cried when I got it. Anyway, please do as you please with it. Just wanted to give you the heads up.”
In January, Obama spokesperson Robert Gibbs reiterated that then President-elect Obama would end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. President Obama’s personal reply to Sandy served as another strong piece of evidence that he planned to keep his previous campaign promise to repeal the ban.
With Sandy’s permission, I wrote a blog post last week about her story and the letter from President Obama.
The post sparked nationwide coverage of Sandy’s story and the military ban. Top television news shows including MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show and ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos featured the topic of GLAAD’s post as the lead story.
The Windy City Times also continued with their great coverage.
The blog post was featured and linked to by a host of influential print and digital outlets including Reuters, The Huffington Post, Politico, St. Louis Dispatch, Atlanta Journal Constitution and Mother Jones. The post was also reported on Memeorandum.com as one of the most popular news memes on the Internet.
A flurry of media requests poured in from news shows, newspapers and magazines interested in interviewing Sandy. I called her to discuss the possibility of her participation, but she politely declined and promised that she would mail a letter explaining her reasons why.
Envelope From the White House to Sandy (Click to view full size)
Yesterday, I received a package from Sandy and I am still shocked by its contents. Inside I found the personal handwritten note from President Obama, along with the White House envelope. On top of the letter was a sticky note that read:
“Gift for Andy. I hope this will help you in the mission.”
While Sandy has declined future media appearances, she has offered up one last piece of commentary through her letter to me. She has given GLAAD exclusive permission to share her thoughts.
Sandy's Letter to Andy Marra (Click to view full size)
From Sandy’s letter (emphasis mine):
“I will need a couple month’s time to get my affairs together after I am officially discharged from the army. In addition, an engineering curriculum requires extensive preparation in order to build a good foundation in math and physics if one hopes to succeed in it. This is my #2 dream job so I want to give it my all.”
She also wrote:
“I have strong feelings to contribute to society by being a part of a profession that will welcome my services without hindering my ability to love someone openly. Thank you again for keeping me abreast with all the voicemail messages and emails. You are truly a Godsend.”
Sandy closed her letter with the simple sentence (emphasis mine):
“To equality for all.“
Any rational person can understand why Sandy has decided to take time for herself. Next Tuesday, May 19, she will officially be discharged from the US Army, for simply wanting to uphold the military values of integrity and honesty by serving as an openly gay woman.
It is on that day the United States government will take away her #1 dream job.
Instead of honoring Sandy for her service, she has been forced to let go of a dream that defined her very character. It is only natural that Sandy would need time to mourn this loss and try to plan for her future.
With this blog post, I hope I am able to share another side of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell that people often forget – the lives that must be rebuilt and the dreams that must be forgotten. Similarly, I hope Sandy’s story, and other like it, will resonate and continue to be shared. The brave men and women of our armed forces deserve nothing less.
Dan Choi
Similar to Sandy’s story, is that of First Lieutenant Dan Choi who has been an outspoken advocate on repealing DADT. If Dan is discharged, he will become the first Arabic linguist to be fired as a result of coming out as a gay man. Keep in mind, Dan’s specialty in Arabic has been noted as a language priority for our national security alongside Farsi, Korean and Mandarin.
Dan will join the 12,500 other men and women who have been discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. A Blue Ribbon Commission Report found that discharging openly lesbian, gay or bisexual people in the military cost $363.8 million dollars spread over ten years.
On Tuesday, May 12, the now White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs at the press briefing repeated President Obama’s commitment to repealing the ban but through legislative means.
Connecting the dots for people on the personal nature of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell remains a top priority for GLAAD. We will continue to encourage media outlets to examine and scrutinize the debate around the reasons for delaying a repeal of the military ban. Further, we will make a concerted effort to work alongside our partners, introduce new voices into the conversation and ensure media are equipped with the resources to report on this critical issue.
On a personal note, Sandy and I remain in touch even though she has stepped away from the public eye to focus on her rebuilding her life. I am honored that she has given me her handwritten letter from President Obama, but I only consider it to be on loan.
It is my hope that in the very near future, I’ll be getting a phone call from Sandy. I’m hoping on that call she’ll be asking me to send this gift back. I’m hoping to hear her say how proud she is that her commander in chief has fulfilled his commitment to her, like she had bravely fulfilled her committment to our counrty.
And I’ll know that it was stories like Sandy’s and Dan’s that helped moved a country, to move a President, to move the most powerful military in the world “to equality for all.”
Media Coverage of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Improves as Repeal Moves Toward Reality
February 5, 2009
The Boston Globe’s recent coverage of Obama’s pledge to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” is one of many news stories out this year that fairly tackles the issue. The Globe piece delves into Obama’s announcement that more studies need to be done, and more Congressional support is needed, before the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Though the Globe piece’s terminology was not quite perfect (use of “gays” rather than “gay men and women” or “gay people”), overall the reporter did a great job keeping the piece fair, accurate, and inclusive of LGBT voices and perspectives. It presented multiple sides to the issue. It quoted expert repeal advocates like the Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund (SLDN) and the Palm Center at UC-Santa Barbara.
The day after the story’s publication, SLDN’s executive director, Aubrey Sarvis, opined in the Huffington Post that there is no need for another study on the military ban:
We do not need another report to tell us what we already know and what earlier reports have long since concluded: the sexual orientation of a service member is irrelevant. What is relevant is how well he or she does the job.
The importance of LGBT advocates not only participating in mainstream media news pieces, but also writing opinion pieces like Sarvis’ HuffPo column, enriches the ongoing conversation around the military ban. The advent of the blogosphere and LGBT military activism has helped shape the past 15+ years of coverage.
Back when the military ban first went into effect, the way the media reported on it was less than fair. In 19
96, the New York Times was still referring to gay men and lesbians as “homosexuals” in their military ban coverage. SLDN was regularly quoted, but by today’s standards the LGBT terminology missed the mark. By this year, the Air Force Times published a very well-done piece exploring the discrimination transgender veterans face, marking a heightened LGBT visibility in military press.
But not all media coverage of LGBT service members has been transformed into fair and accurate in 2009. Last month, GLAAD launched an Action Alert against “Gunny” Bob Newman, host of The Gunny Bob Show on Colorado’s KOA-AM Radio:
Newman used his Clear Channel-owned media platform to make false and defamatory comments about gay service members. Newman suggested that lifting “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on allowing qualified gay military personnel to serve openly in the armed forces, would lead to greater HIV risk.
Despite setbacks like KOA-AM, the media coverage of LGBT military personnel is on the whole improving. As President Obama’s administration continues to make decisions around “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” media coverage will hopefully continue to portray the issues fairly and give voice to our community.
Plaque Dedicated to First Nat’l Visible Gay Service Member
November 21, 2008
“When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”
The well-known and well-respected epitaph above, which recognizes gay LGBT rights pioneer Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, can now be read in two places that honor the former Air Force sergeant – his headstone at his burial site in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC, and a new plaque honoring Matlovich in San Francisco, Ca.
Front cover of 1975 TIME magazine with Sgt. Matlovich.
Dedicated at a ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 15 held at San Francisco’s LGBT Community Center, the plaque honors the contributions of Matlovich to the fight against the ban on gay and lesbian service in the military.
A Vietnam War veteran, Matlovich appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in 1975 with the headline “I Am a Homosexual: The Gay Drive for Acceptance” – a full eighteen years before the ‘one step forward, two steps back’ enactment of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” brought the struggle of gay and lesbian military personnel into the public eye.
The TIME story followed the sergeant’s legal struggle to continue serving in the military after coming out to his commanding officers, including his lawsuit against the secretary of the Air Force.
Although Matlovich was not allowed to service his country in the armed forces again, his lawsuit paved the way for a vital change in military policy in 1981 that allowed gay troops to be discharged honorably instead of dishonorably. He was also the first nationally visible gay service member.
In addition to his epitaph, the full plaque also reads:
“In 1975, Tech. Sgt. Leonard Matlovish, USAF, winner of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, made the military’s ban on gays a national issue when he appeared on the cover of TIME magazine. He was arrested at the White House fighting against AIDS and always fought for full LGBT equality.”
The plaque is permanently located at the corner of 18th and Castro where Matlovich lived before dying from AIDS in 1988.
More information on the current state of the military’s ban on LGBT service members, including “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” can be found in GLAAD’s Veteran’s Day Resource Kit for Journalists.
Plaque dedicated to Sgt. Matlovich in SF (left). Photo from Towleroad. Headstone dedicated to Sgt. Matlovich in Washington, DC (right). Photo from Flickr user dbking.
CNN: The Situation Room – Bringing Gay Troops Out of the Closet
November 20, 2008
As reported in this segment on CNN’s The Situation Room, President Elect Barack Obama says he supports the repeal of DADT by working with the military. Attitudes in the Pentagon and among the public have changed dramatically since DADT was enacted, and many now feel gay people serving in the military “is not that big of a deal.”
11.18.08 05:36 pm
CNN: American Morning – “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
November 18, 2008
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr analyzes the statement released by over 100 retired military generals and admirals calling for a repeal of DADT. Starr says the document is a good indication that the military may be ready for change.
11.18.08 07:24 am
CNN: The Situation Room – “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Under Fire
November 18, 2008
Wolf Blitzer and CNN Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre discuss 100 retired generals and admirals “trying to give Obama a nudge” toward repealing DADT by expressing their opposition to anti-gay military ban.
11.17.08 06:27 pm
Election Coverage Recap: General Kerr and Election Coverage of LGBT Issues
October 30, 2008
The below post is written by Joanna Greenberg, GLAAD’s National News Associate, and Sarah Mitchell, National News Fellow.
Last November, CNN and Youtube joined forces to host a debate for the Republican presidential candidates, as they did for the Democratic candidates in June. All of the questions for the debate were submitted via Youtube with selected video questions asked of the candidates during the live broadcast.
One of the questions aired at the debate was submitted by retired Brigadier General Keith H. Kerr and concerned the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy.” Brig. Gen. Kerr asked:
My name is Keith Kerr, of Santa Rosa, California. I’m a retired brigadier general with 43 years of service. And I’m a graduate of the Special Forces Officer Course, the Command and General Staff Course, and the Army War College, and I’m an openly gay man. I want to know why you think that American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians.
Kerr was in the audience for the debate and when prompted by moderator Anderson Cooper, offered a follow-up comment to the candidates:
American men and women in the military are professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians. For 42 years, I wore the Army uniform on active duty, in the Reserve, and also for the state of California. I revealed I was a gay man after I retired. Today, “don’t ask, don’t tell” is destructive to our military policy. Every day, the Department of Defense discharges two people, not for misconduct, not for the unit cohesion — not for the unit cohesion that Congressman Hunter is talking about, but simply because they happen to be gay.
According to Tapped, the blog of The American Prospect, Gen. Kerr received boos from the audience as his continued his statement.
General Kerr’s appearance and question immediately caused a great deal of controversy outside the debate hall after it was discovered that Kerr was a member of the LGBT Americans for Sen. Hillary Clinton steering committee and a co-chairman of Sen. Clinton’s Veterans and Military Retirees for Hillary committee.
Below is a video to accompany this entire post
Upon learning about his ties to these committees, CNN made an on-air apology. In an interview with John Roberts on CNN’s American Morning the next day, Kerr wasquestioned about his connections to the Clinton campaign:
ROBERTS: So there’s the question, and retired Army Brigadier General Keith Kerr joins me now this morning. We discovered after the debate last night that you are, in fact, a member of Hillary Clinton’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered steering committee. We did not — we did a background check, and we found that you have not made any campaign contributions to any candidate. Does that still stand?
KERR: That’s correct.
ROBERTS: OK. Well, let me ask you about your position on this steering committee. What does that entail, and have you, in fact, done any work for Hillary Clinton’s campaign?
KERR: I have not done any work. Several friends asked me if I would allow my name to be listed, and I agreed because she is such a strong advocate of gay and lesbian rights.
ROBERTS: So this really hasn’t required anything on your part other than lending your name to it?
KERR: Correct.
ROBERTS: Now, did anyone from Hillary Clinton’s campaign or from the steering committee or anyone else associated with a political organization put you up to the idea of asking this question?
KERR: Absolutely not. This was a private initiative on my own.
Despite Kerr’s assurances that he was not in any way directed by the Clinton campaign, some in the media lashed out, ignoring the significance and substance of Kerr’s question and just dismissing him as a “plant.”
On Fox News, Pat Buchanan attacked Kerr and made unnecessary and hurtful comments about Kerr being gay and not, while in active duty, having “courage” enough to come out:
There’s an element of fraud here. When the general did not identify himself as a fierce partisan of Hillary Rodham Clinton and presented himself simply as a military man who had served and was gay. And who obviously did not have the courage, frankly, when he was in the military to come out of the closet and say I’m gay. And to attack the Republicans for lacking the courage to take a position he was unable to take, I think makes him look rather bad.
Far right radio host Michael Savage also attacked Kerr, asserting that he must have been planted by the Clinton campaign. Savage dismissed Kerr as an “old queen”:
I don’t care about this old queen, frankly. He disgusts me to make — my flesh crawls from the old queen. That was a general? Now you wonder why we’re still in Iraq five years later. General — with General Keith Kerr, you know why we’re still in Iraq five years later.
The media, particularly Fox News, ran stories almost entirely on the issue of Kerr’s associations and what they felt was bias at CNN. Fox alone had multiple segments throughout the next few days where they attacked CNN and projected the blame on Sen. Hillary Clinton, overlooking multiple denials from General Kerr.
What about the substance behind the answers given to Gen. Kerr’s question? Well, substance was pretty much lost in the political crossfire.
On November 29th, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough spoke about the Gen. Kerr controversy on Morning Joe and concluded that questions like Kerr’s are only brought up to “vilify the Republican party” and not out of legitimate concern.
When CNN re-aired the debate for its viewers, they decided to remove the entire segment on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” When GLAAD learned of this, we contacted CNN with big concerns about the omission and asked them to include the segment going forward. Their viewers should not be denied the chance to hear the Republican candidates’ views on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” After that conversation with GLAAD, CNN decided to reinstate that segment during subsequent re-airings.
Surprisingly, it was Bill O’Reilly who finally brought up the issue of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in a substantive manner on Fox News. He invited Gen. Kerr onto his program, The O’Reilly Factor. Although O’Reilly distorted many of the facts surrounding the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, he did add substance to a media conversation that had been primarily focused on politics and not policy.
It is important that the current candidates for President, as well as future candidates, face more questions from the media on issues that impact the LGBT community. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the consequences it has for numerous gay and lesbian service members is an especially relevant topic for discussion.
The attacks on Kerr and CNN, especially those made specifically about his orientation, only distracted from the relevance of the question at hand. Viewers had and have a right to hear answers to questions related to LGBT people, regardless of who is asking the question.
