Articles tagged with: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT)
Fairbanks officer discharged under DADT
West Point graduate and Former Army Capt. Jonathan Hopkins was stationed in Fairbanks until last Tuesday when he was discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the military’s ban against openly-gay service members.
Hopkins lived in Alaska for several years between combat missions to the Middle East. He was outed early last summer, and continued to work on the base in Fairbanks throughout the investigation. His boyfriend of ten months, Finely Bock, of Ninilchik, Alaska, said the soldiers Hopkins led in Alaska were “very accepting” toward him and his relationship with Hopkins after it was revealed, according to the Seattle Times.
Hopkins, once the fourth-ranking graduate of West Point out of 933 cadets and an officer who led three combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, was kicked out of the Army for being gay. His last day of service was Tuesday in Fairbanks, Alaska. He left behind — grudgingly — nine years of risking his life and training soldiers.“I love the Army, I’ve always loved the Army. Otherwise I wouldn’t have spent nine years depriving myself of the ability to have happy personal relationships with others,” Hopkins said on “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC.Fourteen months ago, on the same day he learned he was going to be promoted to major a year early, Hopkins was told by his battalion commander that he had been outed for being gay. After years of paranoia — he didn’t fully realize he was gay until after graduating from West Point — the fatigue of living a lie had caught up with him.“It’s a job that we risk dying doing, and yet we have to be more scared of somebody realizing we’re gay, more paranoid about that, than whether the enemy is going to blow us up,” Hopkins said, referring to the more than 14,000 gay people who have been kicked out of the military. “You have to keep that all secret and tell lots of lies.”“It’s time for the best, most powerful military in the world to allow gays to serve in the armed forces.”
Hopkins and Bock are moving to Washington D.C. where Hopkins will attend graduate school this fall at Georgetown University.
Watch Rachel Maddow interview Captain Jonathan Hopkins about being fired from the U.S. Army under DADT:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
FotF targets Murkowski on DADT & Defense Budget, part 2
Bent Alaska’s report that an anti-gay national group Focus on the Family is calling Alaska voters to pressure Sen. Murkowski to vote against the annual Defense Budget because it includes the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was picked up by the blog Lez Get Real, and they filled in the missing information about the Burris Amendment.
The pre-recorded call received by Alaskan voters “summed up by using all the buzz words and concepts, something like ‘if you don’t condone ‘open homosexuality’ in the military or want your tax dollars spent on abortions at military bases, call Lisa Murkowski and tell her to vote no on the defense budget which has amendments to repeal DADT and bar abortions on military bases.'”
We know about DADT. Lez Get Real explains the pro-choice measure:
“The Abortion amendment FoF is talking about, is the Burris Amendment, which does not in fact affect the prohibition that currently exists on publicly funded abortions at armed services hospitals and even if the amendment passes, female service members will still be forced to privately finance the procedure, thanks to the Hyde Amendment. What it does, is allow military hospitals to provide abortions to women service members in war zones only, at the service member’s own expense.”
Yes, FotF wants to punish all service members by withholding the Defense Budget just because of these two amendments:
“Because that budget also includes the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and a provision for female service members to pay for an abortion at a military hospital, with funds out of their own pockets, should they happen to be raped in a combat zone… so of course the FoF does not like that at all, because as we know its better not to buy bullets and body armor for our service people should the budget include anything to do with the queers or women.”
Please call Senator Murkowski and urge her to vote YES for the repeal of DADT: 202-224-6665, or toll free in Alaska at 1-877-829-6030.
Her other Alaska phone numbers and online email contact page are listed HERE.
Thanks to LGR for adding to this report.
FotF targets Murkowski on DADT
Focus on the Family, a radical anti-gay group based in Colorado, is pressuring Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski to vote against the 2010 Defense Budget because it includes the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
A Bent Alaska reader received a pre-recorded call from CitizenLink, FotF’s political action wing:
“… After their intro remarks, they summed up by using all the buzz words and concepts, something like “if you don’t condone ‘open homosexuality’ in the military or want your tax dollars spent on abortions at military bases, call Lisa Murkowski and tell her to vote no on the defense budget which has amendments to repeal DADT and bar abortions on military bases.”“There was absolutely no opportunity to talk to a live person at the end… We need to counter by calling her to vote YES!”
The repeal of DADT is attached to the Defense Budget, and the Senate will vote on it soon, but I have not heard of an abortion amendment on this year’s military budget.
Murkowski claims to be a fiscal conservative and a moderate Republican. She should resist the pressure from outsiders like FotF and vote for the repeal of DADT. It will allow gays and lesbians currently serving in silence to serve with honesty, and allow many qualified Americans currently barred from the military to join and defend our country.
Call Senator Murkowski and urge her to vote YES for the repeal of DADT: 202-224-6665, or toll free in Alaska at 1-877-829-6030.
Her other Alaska phone numbers and online email contact page are HERE.
Watch: Elena Kagan on DADT & marriage
At her Supreme Court confirmation hearings this week, nominee Elena Kagan stated her continuing opposition to DADT: “I have repeatedly said the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy is unwise and unjust. I believed it then, and I believe it now.”
Later Kagan said, “One thing I do know is that my politics would be, must be, have to be completely separate from my judging.”
Kagan will likely be hearing the Prop 8 case in the next couple of years, and could only discuss side issues when asked about states’ rights and same-sex marriage:
Sara’s News Roundup 5/30/10
I was on vacation over the holiday weekend, so I’m a few days late posting Sara’s NEWS and a special message about her vacation for the month of June. Have a great time, Sara, and I look forward to your return in July!
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Hello Readers,
I’m writing to let you know I’ll be away from my trusty computer for a month starting tomorrow. I’ll still be able to receive emails, but won’t be in News-send mode.
As a result, my NEWS will pause until I return. My next NEWS will be either July 4th or July 11th.
In the meantime, let’s hope DADT passes the Senate, that California allows same-sex marriage (again!), and that ENDA passes for all of us: gay, lesbian, bi, and trans alike.
. . . Well — a gal can dream, can’t she? :-)
Until then, I wish you all a very good month of June,
Sara
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Recent LGBT news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.
Washington, Politico, May 26, 2010
Washington, CNN, May 25, 2010
Malawi, Africa, Telegraph, May 29, 2010
365Gay.com, May 28, 2010
Reporting from Washington, LA Times, May 26, 2010
New York, NY Daily News, May 28, 2010
San Francisco, California, 365Gay, May 25, 2010
Minneapolis, Fox9.com, May 23, 2010
U.K., Christian Today, May 29, 2010
Madison, Wisconsin, Cap Times, May 25, 2010
Washington, USA Today, May 28, 2010
Washington, Washington Post, May 15, 2010
California, Advocate, May 28, 2010
Indonesia, BBC News, May 17, 2010
QueerShidduch, May 4, 2010
Southern Poverty Law Center, May 21, 2010
Advocate, June 2010
U.S. House passes DADT repeal
The full U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee both voted in favor of a compromise amendment to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell on Thursday, May 27. The House passed the measure by a vote of 234 to 194, and the Senate Armed Services Committee passed the DADT amendment 16-12 earlier in the day. The full Senate will vote on it next.
The amendment does not stop the discharges of gay and lesbian service members, but it would repeal the Congressional law banning open service. If the amendment passes, the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have to sign off on a full repeal before the discharges would end.
While we wait for the Senate vote, here is the final letter in the “Stories from the Frontlines” series. It is actually two letters: a letter to President Obama from former service member and current SLDN leader Aubrey Sarvis, and a love letter written by a World War II soldier and published in ONE Magazine in 1961.
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May 28, 2010
President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
For the past month, we have sent you personal letters from those harmed by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” With the votes in the House and the Senate Armed Services Committee, we are bringing our series to a close. The final letter we are sharing with you was written by a World War II soldier to another service member. It is a love letter penned on the occasion of their anniversary.
The letter, which follows below, was published in September 1961 by ONE Magazine – an early gay magazine based out of Los Angeles. In 2000, Bob Connelly, an adjunct professor of LGBT studies at American University, found a copy of the letter in the Library of Congress. He brought the letter to the attention of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network last month.
We sincerely thank Mr. Connelly for his research and the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives for granting permission for the letter to be republished.
Please accept this letter on the behalf of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members on active-duty, in the reserve and in the National Guard; those who have been discharged; and those who didn’t enlist because of the discriminatory law now being dismantled.
With great respect,
Former Specialist 4th Class Aubrey Sarvis
United States Army
The letter as published by ONE Magazine:
Dear Dave,
This is in memory of an anniversary – the anniversary of October 27th, 1943, when I first heard you singing in North Africa. That song brings memories of the happiest times I’ve ever known. Memories of a GI show troop – curtains made from barrage balloons – spotlights made from cocoa cans – rehearsals that ran late into the evenings – and a handsome boy with a wonderful tenor voice. Opening night at a theatre in Canastel – perhaps a bit too much muscatel, and someone who understood. Exciting days playing in the beautiful and stately Municipal Opera House in Oran – a misunderstanding – an understanding in the wings just before opening chorus.
Drinks at “Coq d’or” – dinner at the “Auberge” – a ring and promise given. The show 1st Armoured – muscatel, scotch, wine – someone who had to be carried from the truck and put to bed in his tent. A night of pouring rain and two very soaked GIs beneath a solitary tree on an African plain. A borrowed French convertible – a warm sulphur spring, the cool Mediterranean, and a picnic of “rations” and hot cokes. Two lieutenants who were smart enough to know the score, but not smart enough to realize that we wanted to be alone. A screwball piano player – competition – miserable days and lonely nights. The cold, windy night we crawled through the window of a GI theatre and fell asleep on a cot backstage, locked in each other’s arms – the shock when we awoke and realized that miraculously we hadn’t been discovered. A fast drive to a cliff above the sea – pictures taken, and a stop amid the purple grapes and cool leaves of a vineyard.
The happiness when told we were going home – and the misery when we learned that we would not be going together. Fond goodbyes on a secluded beach beneath the star-studded velvet of an African night, and the tears that would not be stopped as I stood atop the sea-wall and watched your convoy disappear over the horizon.
We vowed we’d be together again “back home,” but fate knew better – you never got there. And so, Dave, I hope that where ever you are these memories are as precious to you as they are to me.
Goodnight, sleep well my love.
Brian Keith
(Reprinted with permission of ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, www.onearchives.org, ONE Magazine, September 1961)
Harvey Milk Day
May 22 is Harvey Milk Day, and cities across the lower 48 held events to honor his legacy and promote equality.
Many of the panels, protests, and other events link Milk’s words to our current fight to pass gay job protections (ENDA) and repeal the military’s gay ban (DADT.) Alaska’s members of Congress are divided on these: Sen. Begich supports the bills, Rep. Young opposes them, and Sen. Murkowski has not stated her opinion on either issue.
This HOPE video, set to words from a Harvey Milk speech, was made during the Prop 8 battle but is still powerful today:
Service member under DADT investigation was redeployed to Iraq
The coming days are critical in the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as the House and Senate committees are marking up the Defense budget now and floor votes could happen this month.
Meanwhile, SLDN is continuing to post daily letters from people directly effected by DADT. The letters this week are from an Army veteran of the first Gulf War, the mother of an active duty service member, a former Army Sergeant who served two tours of duty in Iraq – the second while under DADT investigation – and a former ROTC scholar who has always wanted to be an Army doctor but can’t because she’s a lesbian.
Today’s letter is from the Sergeant who served in Iraq while under investigation:
Dear Mr. President,
It was spring 2004. I had just arrived in Baghdad. We’d been there all but four days. Then it happened. It was an ambush. It ended with my good friend shot dead. I was overwhelmed by emotions of anger and sadness, but also confusion.
At that moment, my perspective on life changed; I wondered, what if I had been killed in action and had never come to terms with who I truly was and, even worse, never had the chance to share it with my loved ones? There comes a point when acceptance is your only salvation—my return from Iraq was my moment.
I served two tours of duty in the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a Soldier in the United States Army. I was promoted to sergeant, was a team leader of a medical squad, and conducted over 100 12-hour patrols in the streets of Baghdad, treating wounds and evacuating casualties of sniper fire and roadside bombs. I applied for Officer Candidate School under the recommendation of two generals in my chain of command. But, today, instead of protecting my fellow Americans, I sit working in a university development office because I was discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT).
When I came out, the first people I told were comrades, with whom I had just spent 12 months in Baghdad. To be honest, I was scared of their rejection more than the mortar and rocket attacks, ambushes, or roadside explosives. But, they showed immense understanding of what I had been going through and offered unconditional support. The response from my brothers and sisters in arms proved that the military is a family—no matter if you are man, woman, black, white, transgender, gay, or straight. What truly matters is whether you can trust the person next to you. And how can trust be built around a lie?
One day, I received an email from a Soldier I had never met; it said I was being investigated under DADT and that I would be stripped of my rank and pay and eventually discharged. I tried to ignore it, but the emails continued and became more derogatory. Soon, I began receiving similar phone calls at work.
Unsure of who to trust, on edge every second, and losing more and more sleep each night, I approached my supervisor. I was a Soldier who lived by all seven of the Army values, including honesty. I refused to have someone else end my career. He offered a sympathetic ear before reporting me to the legal department.
After an investigation into my statements and the harassment, I was told I was an exceptional Soldier and to “drive on” with my work. It was a great a relief to break the silence. My colleagues suddenly understood why I had always been so detached and began asking me to join them in activities outside of work.
Later that year my division deployed again and I served the entirety of the deployment as an openly gay Soldier. I no longer had to lie if someone asked if I were married or had a girlfriend, I didn’t have to write my emails in “code.” I no longer feared being “outed.” I finally was able to be honest.
After arriving in Iraq for the second deployment I was promoted once again and served my division as the medical liaison officer in Kuwait. It was there that I participated in an interview with Leslie Stahl for 60 Minutes with the focus being on a out gay Soldier working in a combat zone.
I gave voice to the tens of thousands of men and women who serve everyday under the fear of DADT. The interview also ended my career. I was honorably discharged on June 10, 2008.
While I sit in a safe and comfortable civilian office, former comrades and friends continue to serve, leaving their families for a third, fourth, or even fifth deployment. Why am I not able to stand in the place of my battle buddy who has left his wife three times to deploy and missed the birth of his new born child? Why are exceptions being made to enlist individuals with subpar mental and physical standards? And why are serious convicted felons granted waivers to serve while I was pushed out the door?
Mr. President, last year you restored my hope that this discriminatory law will be repealed, but I must admit that my spirit has been shaken because DADT still exists. Every day, we lose dedicated and capable service members while other Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Coastguardsmen sacrifice more than their share. My experience demonstrates what matters most is competence, trust and ability. Why then should we wait another year or another decade to do what is right?
Sincerely,Former Sergeant Darren ManzellaUnited States Army
TODAY: Veterans Lobby Day on DADT
All hands on deck! Today is Veterans Lobby Day for ending Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, the military’s gay ban. Hundreds of veterans are gathered in DC to ask Congress and the President to repeal DADT this year, and supporters around the country are doing a national call-in.
Nearly 14,000 Americans have been abruptly fired from the U.S. military because of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell – including more than 800 mission critical specialists, and Jene Newsome, an Alaskan stationed in South Dakota.
Senator Begich supports the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, but Rep. Young made some absurd comments about it and Sen. Murkowski has not given her opinion. Does she think gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve honestly in the military? Let’s find out.
Please give your voice to those who must be silent. Get the repeal of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell over the finish line in 2010.
1. Call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121, tell them where you live, and ask them to connect you to your Representative’s office. Tell the staffer who picks up: your name, where you’re calling from, and that you’re “calling to support the Veteran’s Lobby Day and urging Congress to repeal ‘Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell’ this year.”2. Call the Congressional switchboard 2 more times asking for your Senators, and leave the same message.3. Then call the White House switchboard at (202) 456-1111 and urge the President to lead the way this year by adding the “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” repeal to his current defense budget, which is being written this month.
This lobby day is one of our last chances to speak out before Congress takes action on the National Defense Authorization Act, the bill that should contain the “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” repeal language.
That means it’s crunch time. Whether you’re a veteran, a friend or relative of a service member, or simply someone who believes in equality, make that call and add your voice to our fight to end “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell.”
If you are a veteran in Alaska who supports the repeal and are willing to speak out, please contact Alaskans Together, a co-sponsor of Veterans Lobby Day.
Repeal DADT this year!
Truman’s grandson on Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell & desegregation
President Harry Truman desegregated the U.S. military in 1948. The anniversary of his birthday is tomorrow. In today’s “Frontlines” letter, Truman’s grandson Clifton Truman Daniel remembers his grandfather’s decision and asks President Obama to follow that example to end Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, the military’s ban on open gay and lesbian service members.
