National Media Follows the Latest on Proposed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal
March 18, 2010
This morning, the Senate Armed Services Committee held an informal hearing on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ where they heard testimony from Former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Jenny Kopfstein and Air Force Major Mike Almy, both Iraq/Afghanistan veterans who explained the detrimental effect of the current law on the strength of their units and their own lives.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis stated in this morning’s press release, “Not only did they explain how the archaic ban is harming military preparedness, but they illustrated the generational divide on the issue” – referring to the opposing stance of some older members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In testimony before the same committee just two days ago, however, General David Petraeus said “the time has come to consider a change” to the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, according to CBS News. With these sentiments, Gen. Petraeus joins the ranks of Adm. Michael Mullen, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Gen. Colin Powell calling for a thorough review of the policy.
On the Senate floor, the historic bill Military Readiness Enhancement Act authorizing the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ introduced by Senators Joseph Lieberman and Carl Levin has picked up 25 cosponsors in two weeks.
Across town this afternoon, ABC News reported that Lieutenant Dan Choi and Captain James Pietrangelo II chained themselves to the front gate of the White House in protest of the policy, resulting in their arrest – which ABC News captured on video.
GLAAD will continue to keep you updated on mainstream media coverage of the push to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’.
Related Posts:National Media Continues to Follow Proposed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal
March 4, 2010
Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would repeal the ban on openly gay men and lesbians in the United States armed forces, The New York Times reports.
“If Americans want to serve, they ought to have the right to be considered for that service regardless of characteristics such as race, religion, gender or sexual orientation,” said Lieberman.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman with Maj. Mike Almy who was discharged in 2006 (New York Times)
It is unclear whether Lieberman’s bill, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, will garner the 60 votes needed to pass in the Senate.
“I think a guess right now — and this is really a guess — if this bill came to a vote tomorrow, we’d have over 50 votes and that’s saying a lot,” Lieberman told the Advocate “Do we have 60? Not clear yet, but possible.”
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) told The Washington Post on Thursday that a vote on Lieberman’s bill will most likely come in May as part of the annual defense authorization bill.
The repeal is still facing some staunch opposition from Republican lawmakers, however.
Rachel Maddow sternly criticized one such opponent last night on her MSNBC program, The Rachel Maddow Show.
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the amount of service members lost to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is “not significant.”
Maddow answered Rep. Wilson’s outrageous assertion with the story of Air Force Major Michael Almy, who was discharged after 13 years of service because of his sexual orientation.
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GLAAD commends Rachel Maddow and other mainstream journalists who continue to shine a spotlight on the concrete harms of barring qualified gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the United States Armed Forces. We will continue to follow the media’s coverage of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. For more information on the myths and facts surrounding the impact of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell click here to read about our collaboration with Media Matters for America.
Related Posts:Media Takes Notice as Top Military Brass Speak Out on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
February 25, 2010
Gen. James Conway
Marine General James Conway, the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that he supports the Pentagon’s study on the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). Gen. Conway was clear, however, that repealing DADT must take a back seat to the military’s ability to protect the country, according to The Associated Press.
Conway’s testimony comes on the heels of similar testimony by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that both Generals “expressed reservations about moving too swiftly to change the policy, and both endorsed the decision by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to deliberately review the issue before acting.”
Earlier this month, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael G. Mullen told Congress that he personally supported lifting the ban on openly gay men and lesbians serving in the United States armed forces:
“No matter how I look at the issue, 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.”
(To read GLAAD’s original blog post about Adm. Mullen’s testimony, click here)
International leaders are also weighing in on the repeal. According to PinkPaper.com, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sang the praises of his military’s gay and lesbian service members and suggested Americans could reap the same rewards if the ban is overturned:
“You are the pride of our country and we thank you very much,” Brown told an audience of LGBT people and supporters. “We know this debate continues in America today. I would say to people who still favor ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, look at our experience in Britain.”
Yesterday, GLAAD joined Media Matters for America in calling on the mainstream media to cover Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell fairly and accurately. For more information about GLAAD and Media Matters’ open letter to the media, click here.
GLAAD will continue to follow the media’s coverage of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. For updates, check out GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:GLAAD Joins Media Matters, National Organizations to Demand Honest Media Coverage of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
February 24, 2010
GLAAD has joined Media Matters for America and other national organizations to demand fair and accurate coverage of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell from mainstream media outlets.
(To read Media Matters’ full press release, click here)
Media Matters also published a comprehensive review of the myths and falsehoods media conservatives have pushed in their efforts to prevent a repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) law to its website.
Among the other organizations and activists who have signed on to an open letter that calls on media outlets to cover DADT fairly and accurately are Courage Campaign’s Rick Jacobs, Human Rights Campaign’s Joe Solmonese, Knights Out’s Becky Kanis, National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Kate Kendall, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Rea Carey, National Security Network’s Heather Hurlburt, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network’s Aubrey Sarvis, Servicemembers United’s Alex Nicholson, Truman National Security Project’s Rachel Kleinfeld, VoteVets’ Jon Soltz, and Lt. Dan Choi, US Army Infantry Officer and Arabic Linguist.
If you see Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell coverage in the media that misses the mark, contact GLAAD’s National News team at: nationalnews@glaad.org. Be sure to include the outlet’s name, the date of the problematic coverage and a brief synopsis of the offense.
Be sure to log onto GLAADblog.org for the latest updates on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the media.
Related Posts:Talks Continue on Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
February 22, 2010
Top military officials will appear before Congress this week to testify about the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, The Associated Press reported today.
New York Daily News also reports that Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) will announce next week that he is “taking the lead on the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the 1993 law that prohibits gay people from serving openly in the armed forces.”
In an exclusive interview with the Daily News, Lieberman told [reporter James Kirchick] that his commitment to repealing DADT is twofold. First, allowing gays to serve openly fulfills the bedrock American promise of providing citizens with “an equal opportunity to do whatever job their talents and sense of purpose and motivations lead them to want to do – including military service.” Second, and no less important for a lawmaker whose commitment to national security the Pentagon can’t doubt, is that “When you artificially limit the pool of people who can enlist then you are diminishing military effectiveness.”
Sen. Lieberman went on to speak of his experience on the Armed Services Committee:
“My own experience as a member of the Armed Services Committee, visiting our troops on bases here in this country and abroad, particularly in war zones, the most remarkable quality you’ll find is unit cohesion. What matters is not the gender of the other person in your unit or the color or the religion or in this case the sexual orientation. It’s whether that person is a good soldier you can depend on. And that’s why I think it’s going to work.”
Similarly, The New York Times published an article today about a new Palm Center study which indicates that a speedy repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell would not endanger or disrupt American troops.
That study, “Gays in Foreign Militaries 2010: A Global Primer,” is set to be released Tuesday.
The Santa Barbara-based research center surveyed existing policies that allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly in Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and other countries.
“On implementation, the study said that most countries made the change swiftly, within a matter of months and with what it termed little disruption to the armed services,” The New York Times reported.
The New York Times article also noted that General David H. Patraeus spoke on the subject of repeal on NBC’s Meet the Press program on Sunday.
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In that interview, Gen. Patraeus said that a review of the policy barring gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. armed forces is “warranted.” Although Gen. Patraeus declined to give his own opinion on the policy, he said that he would do so if prompted by lawmakers.
When asked by host David Gregory if men and women “serving on the ground and in the field care one way or the other if their comrade in arms are gay or lesbian,” Gen. Patraeus replied, “I’m not sure that they do.”
GLAAD will continue to follow the media’s coverage of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts: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.
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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:Tens of Thousands Gather on Capitol for LGBT Equality
October 12, 2009
Tens of thousands marched on Washington D.C. Sunday to demand equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans.
Activists and allies called for an end to discriminatory federal laws such as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and advocated for marriage equality in all 50 states.
Speakers at the rally included NAACP Chairman Julian Bond; Army 1st Lt. Daniel Choi, an Iraq war veteran who faces discharge after revealing that he is gay; pop music sensation Lady Gaga; “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon; and GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios.
As The New York Times reported on Sunday, the National Equality March came just one day after President Obama addressed 3,000 people at a fundraising event for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT organization.
President Obama renewed his promise to overturn DADT and DOMA at the HRC gala, but drew criticism from some advocates who believe the president must act more swiftly in realizing his campaign promises to the LGBT community.
“I think he has a lot on his plate,” Rachael McIntosh of Worcester, Mass. told The New York Times. “But I’d hoped we’d be a priority.”
Be that as it may, the speakers at Sunday’s rally invigorated the community.
The Washington Post profiled glam rocker Lady Gaga on Monday and highlighted her significant role in raising awareness about the Equality March. Gaga, who is openly bisexual, called the rally “the most important moment of [her] career.”
The Los Angeles Times, meanwhile, pointed to NAACP Chairman Julian Bond as being particularly moving.
“We have a lot of real and serious problems in this country,” Bond said. “And same-sex marriage is not one of them.”
GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios also spoke at Sunday’s rally. Barrios stressed the importance of everyday conversation in the fight for total equality:
Our impatient march begins in far more humble places than Capitol Hill – at the office water cooler, at the Friday night fish-fry, at the Facebook page staring at you from your laptop, or the dining room filled with family for Sunday supper. In these plain-spoken places it isn’t legislation — it isn’t a lawsuit that moves us forward – it is our stories that we tell about our lives.
(Video of Barrios’s speech can be found here)
GLAAD also offered media training services at Georgetown University to assist an array of community activists and organizers with developing media outreach campaigns and sharing personal stories with national media outlets.
For more information about the National March for Equality, please visit: http://equalityacrossamerica.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:First Person Biography of a Bisexual US Army Veteran
September 23, 2009
Official U.S. Army photo of Pvt. Clifton Francis Arnesen, Jr. at Fort Dix, New Jersey: (Age 17) December 1965
As part of GLAAD’s ongoing series of posts dedicated to Celebrate Bisexuality Day, the following is an edited excerpt from Cliff Arnesen’s First Person Biography of a Bisexual US Army Veteran. Please click here for the original piece.
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“As a bisexual in the military, there is no distinction in terms of punishment, no refuge in being bisexual. You get the same consequences; you don’t get half a discharge.”
–Cliff Arnesen, Lesbian News, October 2001
At seventeen, I dropped out of high school in the tenth grade and talked my mother into signing a waiver for me to join the US Army–in an attempt to escape fr0m a life of poverty, filled with despair and devoid of hope.
However, several weeks into basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, I realized that although I had managed to escape fr0m the oppressive environment in Brooklyn, I had also painted myself into a corner. I agonized over the painful necessity of having to conceal my sexual orientation.
Also, fear was a constant reality, as I was well aware that I could be discharged or court-martialed for perjury — having lied on the entrance questionnaire which read:
“Are you a homosexual; and have you ever engaged in sexual activities with a member of the same sex?”
Thus, I held my fears in check and completed basic training, went on to Advanced Infantry Training School (AIT), earned a military high school diploma, and finally, based upon my performance evaluation, was selected by my superiors to attend Trainee Leadership School. But, I never made it to the school.
Instead, I went AWOL because I felt psychologically trapped in the military due to the tremendous stress and fear of trying to hide my sexual orientation and also because I found out that my Mother’s life was in danger. The danger was fr0m another alcoholic man she’d met who physically assaulted her. I kept a close eye on her during the three weeks I was AWOL.
Finally, after feeling assured that my Mother was as safe as could be, and knowing that I could be tried for “Desertion in time of War” after thirty days, I surrendered to the Military Police at Times Square. They handcuffed and arrested me and drove me back to Fort Dix.
Upon my arrival, I finally told my Company Commander that I was gay. Thereafter, I was put under house arrest for several days, then transferred to the stockade on a “holding status,” where I was interrogated by agents fr0m the Army Central Intelligence Division. (CID)
It was during the interrogation that the two agents told me that they thought I was a coward who made up the story of being gay in order to avoid combat duty in Vietnam. To my utter dismay, the agents told me that they needed explicit “proof” in order for me to satisfy their thinking that I was not lying. Needless to say I was shocked and bewildered that the Federal agents would blackmail me because they did not believe the admission of my sexual orientation.
Therefore, due to the ultimatum by the agents–and against my will –I committed what they defined as an “illegal act of sodomy” with another soldier. Afterwards, the other soldier and I were forced to sign a joint “confession.” Then, I was ordered to seek the council of a Roman Catholic Chaplain and a psychiatrist.
The next day, I had a brief session with the Chaplain, who simply told me that:
“God still loves you despite your sin.”
The Chaplain’s words stung my heart, as I know to the core of my soul that all love had to be okay with God because God did not make mistakes! Thus, I was not a mistake!
However, it was during the interview with the psychiatrist that I felt a sense of relief and a glimpse of understanding when the officer asked,
“Private Arnesen, do you like both boys and girls?
In response, I simply answered, “Yes.”
After my affirmative reply he asked, “To whom are you most attracted, boys or girls?”
Without hesitation, I told him my feelings were equal. I was physically and emotionally attracted to both genders. Then, he looked into my eyes and warned that I could be discharged as a “homosexual” because the military made no distinction between a person who was “homosexual or bisexual.”
Leaving his office under armed escort, I felt confused and lost, as I thought of myself as gay due to the rigid codes of sexual behavior within both the straight and gay communities. I thought I had to identify as gay because I didn’t know any bisexual people and would not be accepted in the gay community if I told anyone I liked girls, too.
Then, one morning shortly after the interrogations and meetings, a young soldier with a loaded .45 caliber pistol entered my 8 x10 cement cell, handcuffed me, and ordered me at gunpoint to march several miles through Fort Dix to a courthouse — all the while taunting that he would “shoot to kill” if I tried to escape.
Arriving at the courthouse, I was court court-martialed and sentenced to a year at hard labor in the stockade–of which I served four months in segregated confinement because other prisoners had threatened to rape and kill me. After completing the sentence, I was sent back to my AIT unit to face further threats of death and psychological intimidation by my superiors and fellow soldiers.
Finally, on Wednesday, January 25, 1967, I was given an “Undesirable Discharge,” which effectively precluded my receiving any and all future VA medical and educational benefits. I was escorted outside the gates of Fort Dix by two armed military policemen. I took a lighter out of my pocket, set fire to the “Undesirable Discharge,” and threw it on the ground. Then I hitched a ride back to Brooklyn with nothing but a subway token in my pocket.
May 16, 1990: Second day of Cliff Arnesen's Congressional Testimony Before the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
On May 3rd 1989, Cliff Arnesen became the first openly bisexual Veteran to testify before members of the United States Congress during formal hearings held before the U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations — addressing health care issues relating to LGBT veterans who suffered fr0m AIDS, homelessness, Agent Orange, drug and alcohol abuse, and less-than-honorable gay and bisexual related discharges. He continues to advocate for the rights of LGBT veterans as president of New England Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Veterans, Inc.
Related Posts:Accused Murderer of Gay Sailor Found Dead
August 3, 2009
On June 30th Navy Seaman, August Provost was found shot to death, and his guard shack burned at Camp Pendleton, a Marine base in the San Diego area.
August Provost
August Provost was a 29-year-old African American man that many media outlets have reported as identifying as gay or bisexual. Media outlets also reported that Provost’s boyfriend, Kaether Cordero, and family members said that he had been harassed about his sexual orientation prior to his death.
The family and his boyfriend believe Provost was killed for being gay and because of his race.
On Thursday, 23 July, the Navy announced charges against Jonathan Campos, in conjunction with the murder of August Provost. Campos was charged with multiple crimes, including murder. However, the navy maintains that there is no evidence that the murder of Provost was a hate crime.
Now we may never be able to find out what happened, because on Friday July 31, Campos was found dead in his jail cell. It is believed he committed suicide, by stuffing toilet paper in his own mouth.
GLAAD will continue to report on any new developments.
**UPDATE: The Navy says that the investigation into Provost’s murder remains open, despite Campos’ death.**
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:Remembering an Openly Gay “Rising Star in Our Navy”
July 9, 2009
On June 30th Navy Seaman August Provost was found shot to death and his guard shack burned at Camp Pendleton, a Marine base in the San Diego area.
August Provost was a 29-year-old African American gay man. Provost’s boyfriend, Kaether Cordero, and family members recount that he had recently been harassed about his sexual orientation. The family and his boyfriend believe Provost was killed for being gay and because of his race.
August Provost
The Navy has a suspect in custody, and believes the murder was simply a random act of violence.
Provost’s murder raises questions about the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and how effective the investigation can be with such a policy in place. Rose Roy, Provost’s aunt, said that the policy discouraged Provost from reporting the harassment he was facing in the Navy.
Several members of Congress have called for a full-scale investigation into what happened to Provost. The Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, who represents an area near the base where Provost was killed, Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) has called for an investigation. He was joined this week by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat who represents Houston where August Provost lived before joining the military.
August Provost’s story has gained widespread media attention, from CNN, MSNBC, the Huffington Post, Fox News, the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press, among others. As the investigations move forward and Provost’s accused murderer is charged and tried for his brutal death, the story will certainly continue to gain media attention.
GLAAD will ensure that the media recognize and remember August Provost both as a “rising star in our Navy” as described by a Navy spokesman, as well as a gay man his family and boyfriend loved very much. If it’s true that Provost couldn’t notify military personnel about his ongoing harrassment, his story will become an all-too-tragic example of why LGBT advocates, high-ranking military officials and many in Congress are arguing for the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
**Editor’s Note: Many media accounts attribute statements to Provost’s family and boyfriend saying he was gay. Other stories report that the family says Provost was bisexual. It is unclear how Provost personally identified. At the end of the day, whether Provost was bisexual or gay, he was a victim of tragic violence that those who knew him are sure was a result of intolerance about his sexual orientation
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