Lady Gaga, MVT Awards and DADT

Perhaps Barack Obama needs to watch Lady Gaga in action when it comes to being a "fierce advocate" for LGBT equality. He obviously was not listening when she shouted out to him from the podium at the National Equality March nearly a year ago. Indeed, he hasn't listened to hardly anything the LGBT community has been saying, apparently preferring to be BFF with Rick Warren and other anti-gay bigots. Not only did Gaga win a record 8 Video Music Awards, but she arrived on the red carpet with four service members (see photo above) impacted by the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. Her messages to U.S. Senators: repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" next week. Jim Webb, are you listening? Check out Lady Gaga's web page here with its link to the SLDN website.

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Besides Obama, maybe HRC and other members of "Gay, Inc." should take a page for Gaga and stop the groveling so that they can have "access" and schmooze at cocktail parties.

Likely Already Stacked Survey Sent Out to Troops

UPDATE: I'm not the only one livid with Obama and this utterly botched/slanted survey. John Aravosis at America Blog basically (and rightly) rips Obama and company a new one. Seriously, it's to the point where one would almost think that some within the Democratic Party are trying to make LGBT voters stay home come the November mid-term elections.

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Despite the fact that the numerous military allies of the USA have changed their policies and allowed LGBT citizens to now openly serve in in their own military - all without any significant problems, the U.S. military is doing yet another needless survey on the issue of DADT repeal and, candidly, it looks like it's stacked to find fabricated problems so as to justify killing repeal. One question is in part as follows: "how they would react if they had to share a room, bathrooms, and open-bay showers in a war zone with other service members believed to be gay or lesbian." Can you imagine such a question being asked except with "black" or "African American" being substituted for gay or lesbian? Would Obama stand for such a question? Of course not - even though I suspect that many southern whites in the military would answer that they'd react negatively to serving with blacks.
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Reportedly the survey will be sent to service members via e-mail and asks about such issues as how unit morale or readiness might be affected if a commander is believed to be gay or lesbian; the need to maintain personal standards of conduct; and how repeal might affect willingness to serve in the military. Talk about seeking to script a self-fulfilling prophecy that repeal would cause problems. Compounding the outrageousness of the survey, there is NO guaranteed protection granted to LGBT service members that they will not be discharged if they honestly answer the survey honestly. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's recommendation to LGBT service members is to NOT answer the survey. Yes, this will tilt results even more potentially against repeal, but to do otherwise could end service members' careers. Here are highlights from SLDN's press release:
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"A number of service members have contacted SLDN to seek guidance on surveys concerning the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- the discriminatory law barring gay and lesbian service members from serving with integrity. At this time SLDN cannot recommend that lesbian, gay, or bisexual service members participate in any survey being administered by the Department of Defense, the Pentagon Working Group, or any third-party contractors. While the surveys are apparently designed to protect the individual's privacy, there is no guarantee of privacy and DOD has not agreed to provide immunity to service members whose privacy may be inadvertently violated or who inadvertently outs himself or herself. If a service member still wishes to participate, he or she should only do so in a manner that does not reveal sexual orientation."
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In response to my post about emigrating, I have received messages of support and messages to not give up and to continue to fight the good fight, etc. But when one sees deliberately biased and unnecessary crap like this survey, it's hard not to ask oneself, what's the point. I am so, so over unconstitutional religious based discrimination against gays being given a total pass in this nation.

An Open Letter to Senator Jim Webb

On Friday I received an e-mail from Senator Jim Webb's communications director, Jessica Smith, that a first seemed like a genuine outreach by the Senator to LGBT Virginians. It turns out that it wasn't. It was part of a poorly executed PR effort. And as one commenter on one of my Bilerico Project posts rightly noted "It's called "damage control." The best part is that there have been several identical letters sent to various folks from multiple staffers. At least they could have tailored the e-mails to the audience if they didn't want to get busted." Apparently, the Senator underestimates his LGBT constituents and is clueless as to how we are able to quickly communicate among ourselves literally all over the state and the USA by the mere click of a "send button." The following is my personal response to the Senator's office.

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Dear Ms. Smith,

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I wanted to give an updated response to your message from Friday - and a similar one disseminated by Mr. Haskins to other opponents of DADT in Virginia. If the intention of your office was to placate the LGBT community, particularly those of us in the LGBT community in Virginia, suffice it to say that I do not believe it is working. Delay on DADT is simply not acceptable. The issue has already been studied to death. Therefore, the only purpose of further study is delay.

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Senator Webb can claim otherwise, but by doing so he is only throwing away his credibility with LGBT Virginians. The time has come for the Senator to stand up to Christianist bigots who want to denigrate and disparage gay Americans and make them second class citizens simply because we do not conform our lives to Christianist religious views. One could even make the argument that by not standing up to the Christianists, Senator Webb is failing to support the U.S. Constitution which guarantees freedom from religious based discrimination to all citizens. Senator Webb might do well to read Section 1 of Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom as a refresher on what religious freedom means.

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I invite you to read this piece I posted on The Bilerico Project over the weekend (a similar piece appeared on my personal blog too) as well as the comments left by readers on that post as well as a prior one cited therein. As you will see, the sentiment of readers is running strongly in favor of not supporting Democrats in the November mid-terms because the Obama/Congressional Democrat campaign promises have not been kept. Indeed, other bloggers I know and with whom I have communicated are working up campaigns to (i) make sure that the LGBT ATM is turned off to Democrats who do not keep their promises and (ii) encourage LGBT voters to stay home.

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I sincerely hope that Senator Webb rethinks his position on the repeal of DADT THIS YEAR without unnecessay and (in my view) disingenuous delay.
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Sincerely,
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Michael Hamar, Hampton, Virginia 23661

Senator Jim Webb Responds to Blog Posts

One thing about being a blogger is that you never know who may be reading what you write and/or what kind of sensitive nerve you might touch upon. A case in point is an e-mail I received Friday afternoon in response to a post here on Michael-in-Norfolk and a similar version on The Bilerico Project that raised concerns about Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Webb's support for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Who was the e-mail from? The author of the e-mail was Jessica Smith, Senator Webb's Communications Director. As requested by Ms. Smith, I am sharing the Senator's response which is set out below in its entirety. Set out further below is the response I sent back to the Senator's office. Here is the statement from Jim Webb's office:

Michael:

I read your blog posts yesterday, and before we wrap up the week, I wanted to clear up some misinformation and inaccurate conclusions you've drawn regarding Senator Webb's position, background, and outreach around "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

As someone who has spent his life in and around the military and who currently serves as the Chairman of the Personnel Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, no one should doubt Senator Webb's commitment to the well-being of our men and women in uniform and their families.

He has also cosponsored measures in Congress to prevent discrimination and protect the fundamental rights of all Americans, including the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

With respect to the issue at hand, Senator Webb agrees that a review of the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is appropriate and timely. He believes that Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen announced a responsible and careful approach toward the policy's examination. He strongly agrees that this approach must involve the full, open input and engagement of those serving in uniform today, including our military leadership, our active duty service members in all services and at all levels, and their family members.

This deliberative approach mirrors the process that Senator Webb employed in 1987 when, as Secretary of the Navy, he opened up more billets to women than any Secretary of the Navy in history. He convened a special study group, reporting back to him through the Navy's uniformed leadership, that conducted a thorough examination of the Navy's assignment policies and other issues. His approval of the study group's recommendations led to a large expansion in the number of sea-going billets available to women officers and enlisted personnel.

During today's consideration of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the Senator and members of our staff have met with dozens of military service organizations, active-duty military, veterans, and other stakeholders. Although the Senator has not met with Elaine Donnelly personally during this process, members of our staff have met with her, as well as with representatives of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Equality United, Servicemembers United, the Human Rights Campaign, and other groups seeking repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." These interactions have ensured that the Senator and our office are more fully informed on their concerns and their reasons for having the law repealed.

Senator Webb has taken a serious, deliberative approach to examine and address this policy. Because this issue is so important to your readers, it is my hope that you will share this information with them.

Thank you,
Jessica Smith
Senator Webb's Communications Director

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This is my response back to Senator Webb's Communications Director, Jessica Smith:

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Dear Ms. Smith,
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Thank you for the message. I will review it and write about it. I will also share it - and this response - with some of the other bloggers and activists that I know personally who share my views on the need to repeal DADT THIS YEAR.
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Personally, regardless of Senator Webb's explanation, I see the Pentagon review as a transparent stalling tactic. Numerous allies have already taken an approach of allowing gays to openly serve with no difficulties. Moreover, U.S. troops are interacting with allied troops that include openly gay military service members. The world has not ended. To claim that somehow U.S. service members are more bigoted or less able to go with the new program than members of foreign armies and navies is insulting to our troops. You might like to read the report referenced in this story: http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/05/14/Smooth_Transition_for_Military_Gays_in_US_Allies/ Here's the link to the report itself: http://www.law.columbia.edu/null/download?&exclusive=filemgr.download&file_id=164384 Here are highlights from the report's executive summary:
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No significant problems have arisen as a result of a transition to open service. Notably, not one country studied in this report has made any changes to its housing or bathrooms. Moreover, although all the countries studied in this report have reported scattered incidents of harassment, this report also shows that there has been no pervasive discrimination against or harassment of gay and lesbian servicemembers. While some countries achieved a successful transition through educational and sensitivity training, others have not addressed harassment of gay and lesbian servicemembers in their trainings. The common thread, instead, has been an emphasis on strong leadership and a clear statement of the behavior that is expected of servicemembers. This report also shows that none of the countries studied have experienced a decline in unit cohesion or morale. To the contrary, many of the countries studied have seen an increase in morale due to a servicemember’s increased ability to focus on work rather than hiding their sexual orientation and a decrease in paranoia and suspicion as a result of the new open environment.
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The claim that a lengthy study is needed simply is a dog that doesn't hunt. There is no need to recreate the wheel when other nations have already done it.
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If you have read my personal blog, Michael-in-Norfolk as well as the posts I write on The Bilerico Project, you will know that I know many gays now in the military. Some hold significant rank and responsibilities. I know others who made it to retirement like the current chair of Equality Virginia who served 20 years in the Air Force. Further, I also know a number who have been outed by unnamed sources, subjected to witch hunts and discharged just shy of reaching retirement.
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It is a travesty that patriotic and honorable citizens are treated like lepers. Especially since we are talking about a policy that in the final analysis is based on 100% religious based discrimination. Don't Ask, Don't Tell makes a mockery of the supposed freedom of religion guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution. DADT deprives gays of their constitutional right to freedom of religion, plain and simple. I have stated numerous times that if he had a backbone and/or had meant what he said during the 2008 campaign, President Obama would take action and suspend discharges pending Congressional repeal. Obama has proven to be no Harry Truman, as noted by Truman's grandson.
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The reality is that November is going to be a potentially tough time for Democrats. Locally, Glenn Nye is going to face a very tough challenge. While Glenn supports ENDA, he and Senator Webb have yet to deliver on ENDA or DADT. Because of this, many in the LGBT community - myself and my partner included - are seriously debating whether it is worth bothering to vote in November. The Democrats have held the White House and majorities in both houses of Congress and yet all we see on DADT and ENDA are delay. Perhaps deliberate delay.
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Meanwhile, different Democrat fund raisers call and look for LGBT money, grass roots support and votes - I received one such call just yesterday from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. I refused to give money and told the caller why. We get nothing in return. Hence why I and others support the "Don't Ask, Don't Give" campaign started by John Aravosis at America Blog. Politics is a two way street - although too many elected officials seem to forget that fact - and I intend to continue the drum beat for a repeal of DADT THIS YEAR and for passage of ENDA.
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Sincerely,
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Michael Hamar
Hampton/Norfolk, Virginia

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I also suggested that Senator Webb have a representative attend the HRBOR event on May 20, 2010 via a separate e-mail message.

Gates and Joint Chiefs Torpedoing DADT Repeal?

It appears that Defense Secretary Gates and the Joint Chiefs chairman Mullen have forgotten who works for whom. The CIVILIAN leadership calls the shots on political decisions and perhaps it's time that Gates and Mullen gets sent packing in the way Harry Truman "fired" General Douglas MacArthur. The ploy of these men seems beyond transparent - delay repeal so that Democrat losses in November may prevent repeal from happening any time in the near term. This bulls*it infuriates me since I know first hand from those I know personally that gays in the military are generally as good or better service members than border line straight recruits that have been accepted to achieve recruiting goals. Thus, the only agenda served by DADT is the religious based discrimination of gay-haters like Elaine Donnelly, Tony Perkins and other professional Christians. Obviously, this is yet another case of LGBT Americans being thrown under the bus and the weak willed Obama maneuvering for a way to break his promises yet posturing so as to blame it on someone else. Personally, I am SOOOOOOOOOO over Obama's lack of leadership and backbone. Here are highlights from the Washington Post (Gate's letter is set out below - note how he worries about the sensibilities of straight soldiers while caring nothing for LGBT members of the military):
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday once again asked Congress not to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy before the Pentagon completes a review of it. In a sharply worded letter, Gates said he believes the Defense Department must be allowed to review the potential impact of repealing the ban on openly gay service members before Congress acts.
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"Our military must be afforded the opportunity to inform us of their concerns, insights and suggestions if we are to carry out this change successfully," Gates wrote in response to an inquiry from House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.).
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The letter was co-signed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, who joined Gates in voicing personal opposition to the ban at a February Senate hearing.
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Later Friday White House Spokesman Tommy Vietor said, “The President’s commitment to repealing don't ask, don't tell is unequivocal. This is not a question of if, but how. That’s why we’ve said that the implementation of any congressional repeal will be delayed until the DOD study of how best to implement that repeal is completed. The President is committed to getting this done both soon and right.”

Gates Letter to Skelton

Decorated Airman to Be Sacrificed on Altar of DADT

The Washington Post has a story on Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach who is about to be discharged from the military because of the religious based discriminatory Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Fehrenbach's pending discharge shows the idiocy of a policy where qualified members of the military are discharged literally daily at the same time that the military is recruiting gang members, those with felony records, and individuals without a high school education. When the disingenuous arguments of the Christianists and far right are stripped away, the only purpose is to keep LGBT Americans inferior under the law so that our enemies can then point to such inferiority as a justification for their bigotry. DADT needs to be abolished NOW. Here are some story highlights:

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For Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, time is running out on efforts to overturn restrictions on gays serving in the U.S. military. The weapons system officer -- who during 18 years of service has flown combat missions in F-15E fighters and other aircraft over Afghanistan, Iraq and Bosnia, and now serves as assistant director of operations for an Air Force squadron in Idaho -- faces discharge after a civilian reported to authorities last year that Fehrenbach is gay.

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Fehrenbach, who has nine Air Medals, including one for heroism under fire during an enemy ambush near Baghdad in 2003, intended to resign. But he changed his mind last fall with the prospect of a Barack Obama presidency. As a candidate, Obama promised that the law would be overturned, . . .

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In April, a review board ruled against Fehrenbach, and unless Air Force Secretary Michael Donley rejects the recommendation, he will be dismissed. If he is unable to retire with 20 years of service, Fehrenbach will lose nearly $50,000 a year in retirement pay as well as medical benefits. More disappointing, Fehrenbach said, is being unable to serve the country in a time of war.

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More than 13,000 service members have been discharged from the military since the law was passed, though the number of annual discharges has declined by almost half since 2001. "When we need you, your sexual orientation seems to be less of a factor," Sarvis said. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network estimates that 326 service members have been discharged since Obama was sworn in.

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No doubt Elaine Donnelly and similar gay-haters are nearly having orgasms over the thought of Fehrenbach being thrown out of the armed forces. Donnelly and those like her are truly sick and vile people.

Stand By Your Word Mr. President

I am sure that some readers may think me a broken record on the topic of Don't Ask, Don't Tell ("DADT"), but living in an area with a high number of military personnel and knowing a significant number of gays in the military and seeing what this religious based policy does to their lives makes it difficult to remain quiet. In numerous campaign speeches - including one I witnessed in person - Obama gave good lip service to ending DADT. But now that he is in office, it seems that what we got on the campaign trail is another example of the saying "talk is cheap." The lives of honorable members of the military are disrupted and careers continue to be ruined so that frigid Christianists like Elaine Donnelly can feel superior and self-satisfied and reactionary senior military officers can avoid being held accountable for their bigotry. It's not right and it's not fair and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ("SLDN") has again called Obama to live up to his promises on the campaign trail. Yes, repealing DADT will take some courage and the reactionary elements will wail and lament, but it's the right thing to do. Here are highlights from SLDN's open letter to Obama:

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There is, however, one campaign promise he's been silent on since he was elected in November: the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." It's still up there on the White House website. "President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," it says. "The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals."There is no ambiguity in that statement.

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If I had five minutes of your time, Mr. President, I would make three points. I would say to you that "don't ask, don't tell" is the only federal law on the books today under which a service member can be discharged for one reason only: because he's gay. He may be the best Arabic translator on the planet, the best pilot, the best battlefield surgeon - but if he's openly gay he runs the risk every day that he'll be reported and discharged - by law - for that reason alone. . . . "This is not a matter of Left and Right. It is not a liberal issue or a conservative issue. It's a matter of what is morally right."

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In order to get rid of it, send your Defense budget to Congress next month without the authorization to enforce this shameful testament to prejudice. Tell Congress "don't ask, don't tell" should go the way of the Jim Crow laws. Defense Secretary Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mullen, can't do it for you. In fact, it's obvious they're not going to volunteer for this assignment unless you ask. But almost certainly they will join you if you, as their Commander-in-Chief, propose it.

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It is true that some retired admirals and generals in their 70s and 80s still have the mindsets of the 1950s or before, and it is true that with Elaine Donnelly conducting from the wings they have made some harrumphing noises. Elaine Donnelly probably cares more about keeping gays and lesbians out of the military than anyone in the United States, . . .

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Keep your promise, Mr. President, and ask Congress and the American people to join you in standing against this reprehensible law that tortures every day so many young men and women who want to serve our country. Consign it to the dustbin of history where it belongs.

Military Ouster of Gays Plunges

It's a funny thing that if, as alleged by the Christianists and reactionaries in the U. S. military, gays break down unit cohesiveness, etc., that more gays are not being discharged in this time of war than in more peaceful periods. When would morale and unit cohesiveness be more important? The fact that the number of discharges under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is way down exposes the disingenuousness of the Christianist argument and demonstrates that gays in the military poses none of the alleged unwanted circumstances.

Even the Washington Times is taking note of this reality. No doubt this story will cause a number of delusional, wingnut Christianist (e.g., Elaine Donnelly) to get their panties in a wad. If Ms. Donnelly thinks there are fewer gays in the military, I challenge her to go out with me some weekend so she can see all those Navy boys and Marines in the local gay clubs. The woman needs serious medication (and psychiatric treatment, in my opinion. Also, why does she always look like she just passed gas in her photos?) Here are story highlights (http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080121/NATION/466140525/1001):

The U.S. military says it is enforcing the ban on open homosexuals in the ranks, as it has for decades, in the face of statistics that show a sharp drop in the number of discharged homosexuals as wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continue.

Homosexual rights advocates cite the plunge as evidence that the military is losing interest in enforcement and lets openly homosexual men and women serve because commanders need every able-bodied troop. "Truth be told, I don't think the Pentagon is a big fan of the law anymore," said Steve Ralls, spokesman for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which is pushing for the ban's demise.

"Our policy implements the law Congress passed after prolonged research and debate," said Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez. Ms. Lainez said "we can't speculate as to why the number of discharges has declined" from 1,273 in 2001 to 612 in 2006. Mr. Ralls understands the decline as "clear evidence that traditionally during a time of war lesbian and gay discharges decline," he said. "Commanders recognize the value of having good quality service members on the job regardless of what their sexual orientation may be."

Elaine Donnelly, who runs the Center for Military Readiness, said no comprehensive evidence supports that theory. She thinks fewer homosexuals are joining the military.

End Don't Ask, Don't Tell

I am stunned. I just received a telephone call from a client who told me he and two other U. S. personnel I know are under investigation for being gay. He is not sure of the source of the complaint, but believes it might be another member of the Navy with an axe to grind. The allegations are ludicrous, yet because of the failed Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy he and the others charge will need to retain legal counsel, go through an emotional Hell and could lose their careers.

One would think that with the Iraq disaster still in full swing and the military struggling to meet recruiting goals, this type of bull shit would not be happening. To any my readers in the USA, please contact your representatives in Congress and voice your support for ending this idiocy. Likewise, consider making a donation to SLDN.