The blatantly religious based (and I would argue, unconstitutional) discrimination policy known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell apparently has racked up two new casualties. This time it's a top rated cadet at West Point and a Navy sailor who foolishly had a photo of his boyfriend on his cell phone. And who benefits? Of course, no one except self-congratulatory Christianist who give Christianity a bad name and whose ultimate goal is to undermine the U.S. Constitution. I'm sure Elaine Donnelly had an orgasm over the news. And what about our "fierce advocate in the White House? He's apparently sitting around with his thumb stuck somewhere I won't mention. These incidents of legalized religious discrimination disgust me and based on the e-mails I have received from readers have truly outraged a number of folks. First, here are some highlights from Pam Spaulding on the decision of Cadet Katherine Miller (ranked 9th in her class) to out herself and resigned from West Point:*
Ranked # 9 in her class overall, she routinely "super-maxes" her physical fitness tests. One of her blogs was featured in the Sunday print edition of the Washington Post as part of "The Gray Zone: West Point on Leadership." In her resignation letter, she cites the kinds of experiences she is unwilling to continue to endure: I have created a heterosexual dating history to recite to fellow cadets when they inquire. I have endured unwanted approaches by male cadets for fear of being accused as a lesbian by rejecting or reporting these events. I have been coerced into ignoring derogatory comments towards homosexuals for fear of being alienated for my viewpoint. In short, I have lied to my classmates and compromised my integrity and my identity by adhering to existing military policy.
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Miller will be transferring to Yale University this fall on a Point Foundation Scholarship. She has indicated her desire to become an Army Officer should the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy be removed, and gay and lesbian people allowed to serve freely. "This is a loss to the Academy and to the Army," said Becky Kanis, West Point '91. Kanis is Chair of Knights Out, and a former Captain and company commander. "We keep losing talented people needlessly while we wait for the Pentagon's 'review.' " Miller has been blogging anonymously about lesbian culture at West Point at velvetparkmedia.com as "Private Second Class Citizen."
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Five star General Douglas MacArthur is buried here in Norfolk and when one visits the MacArthur Memorial - which is an interesting tourist stop, by the way - one hears much about "duty, honor, country." It's hard to uphold honor when service members are forced to live a lie so that religious bigots can feel better about themselves.
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The second DADT casualty is Jarod McIntosh who had been serving his country aboard a Navy submarine. His offense? He was discovered to be gay via a photo of his boyfriend on his cell phone. Queerity has these details:
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He's being discharged from the Navy because he accidentally brought his camera-equipped cell phone into a submarine, which is a restricted area. Yes, that was a dumb move. But even dumber is what happened afterward.
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His superiors confiscated his phone to ensure it didn't contain any classified material. It didn't. But there were what sounds like intimate photos of Jared and his boyfriend Doug. Jared is being discharged not for breaking the rules about bringing audio-video equipment into a restricted area, but for being gay. He's appealing the separation.
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A video clip of McIntosh discussing the situation can be found here.
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