Sound Off!
What do you think about the magazine? Comments, questions, encouragement, debate – bring it!
Respond in the comments below – your input might get featured in our next issue of OutServe Magazine!
Category: Sound Off
The association of actively serving LGBT military personnel
Subscribe/Read the Latest Issue
Our Sponsors
© OutServe Magazine – The Association of Actively Serving LGBT Military Personnel 2011. All rights reserved.
Holy ****, is this for real? The world is moving so fast and we’re standing on the edge.
20 years from now, a child will say, “You mean they couldn’t join the army,” and you’ll remember this moment w/ crystalline clarity.\
Isn’t it strange to be alive when history and culture merge into one? CLICK HERE to capture THIS moment NOW through the lens of your brain. Don’t wait for time’s memorial. Look now. Rosa Parks is on the bus and reaching toward her seat.
My husband and I served in and retired from the military. We are corpsmen and both of us served in the field with the Marines. As an American and a military veteran, I just want to say;
Thank you for your perseverance, your service and the integrity you have shown in this battle for your freedom. Anyone who has served in the military has known gay veterans. Many of us have been lucky enough to call some of these vets our friends. Please continue to fight for the rights of your significant others and spouses. They also deserved to be recognized for their service.
As the first gay military member of the Canadian Forces who married another gay military member on base in the chapel at CFB Greenwood, I applaud your efforts and wish you a long long term in print and an online presence.
“Sic Itur ad Astra”
Reach for the stars
Royal Canadian Air Force moto.
I am from Canada and it is wonderful to see that acceptance is finally here. I am not a believer in tolerance as the politicians seem to want to perpetuate. In my world “tolerance” refers to something that is not done without understanding and compassion. It is something that we are forced to bear even though we do not like it.
Isn’t it nice to be welcomed with love and compassion. Lets all strive to ensure that we do not live up to the gay stereotype that the world often sees in low budget movies. Lets all stand tall and proud and be all that we can be, for now we can truly be all that we are.
I think this is disgusting. Homosexual behavior is a sin.
IF Homosexual behavior is a sin, as you say, I shall be judged by my maker, not you. By the way, I was made in the image if my Maker.. like you, so guess I’ll see you in HELL, enjoy the trip, I will.
Loves…
This thread makes me mindful of the recent comments by a midwestern state legislator (a Republican who identifies himself as Christian, I might add) who asked, in the course of legislative debate on a bill relating to lgbt rights, whether or not Christians may need to ask themselves whether the fact that God continues to create new lgbt people every day is a sign from Him that He wishes His followers to consider His wishes for greater tolerance and understanding.
I am also mindful of the insistence by some Christians that the Bible, which some view as the literal word of God, is apparently His last comment on the subject. If this is true then prayer must truly be a lie, at least insofar as some say that prayer is communicating with God and that He answers prayer. If He does answer prayer, including the sincere and profound prayer of countless lgbt Christians asking for His guidance and love, then what was written some thousands of years ago cannot be the last thing God had to say on the subject. Just because He may not have said it to you doesn’t mean He hasn’t said it.
Okay, Christians, time to pony up: does God speak to us in the present time or not? Or has He remained silent for several millenia? If so, you may wish to consider that what was said in His name thousands of years ago may not represent His present thoughts and wishes for us in the present time. Don’t tell me that the Bible is His eternal word, because if He is God he can communicate anything He wishes to, any time He wants to. You cannot make rules for God. God is not silent today because you say He is silent. That’s not your decision to make, it’s His. Can’t be both ways. If the Bible is His final truth then prayer is a lie. If prayer is truth, then the Bible is not God’s final word on the subject and you may wish to consider that as you so blithely indict huge swaths of His creation. You can’t have it both ways.
If you find homosexuality to be so disgusting and find it to be such a sin, then why the hell are you on this site? All you are doing by being on here and posting hateful (incredibly unchristian) things is making this site stronger and making people like us fight for what we believe in and is right even more.
If you want to post your opinion on this subject and feel that it needs to be so hateful about people that are different from you then go join Westboro Baptist Church and all those crazies.
We don’t want nor need your uneducated, rude, unkind, unchristian, and hateful ass.
I am christian and I am “straight”. I still care, stand up, fight for, and love those who are LGBT. I especially do that when they are fighting for this country and are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice of their life for our freedom. A freedom, mind you, that you have because of them. For, without them, you would not be able to sit here and bash these brave men and women without them.
So, maybe, Thomas, you should think before you speak. Your words are incredibly mean, hurtful, and unchristian. God does not want us to hate others, but to accept them for who they are and show them that he is the way to salvation. Not to tell them that they are disgusting and incredibly sinful – because believe it or not, we are all disgusting and incredibly sinful, hence the reason for His only beloved son’s death on the cross for us.
YES! YES! I wish all the gays would read the Bible!! They all will be so sorry when our Lord puts a stop to this sick, sick way of life
FANTASTIC. E8USN RET. PARTNER OF 37 YRS IS VIETNAM VET. We were together for last 9
Yrs of my navy career. We never thought this day would come. I would have stayed for 30
If it had been legal. THANKS BE TO GOD.
May you and your life partner enjoy many more years of happiness and continued good health.It’s great that DADT was repealed.It’s just the first step on the long road towards equality for gays/lesbians in the US.DOMA must be repealed in order for our gay/lesbian soldiers to achieve equality in their professional sector.They should also have the privilege of having their spouses legally recognized as such,as well as being allowed to live on base along with their children,have health insurance,attend base schools,etc.Discrimination among soldiers by the US military shouldn’t be accepted,it must be changed.If openly gay/lesbian soldiers can fight and die for their country,they shouldn’t be denied equal rights,or treated as second class enlisted soldiers having less job entitlements than their hetero counterparts.Those patriotic soldiers who have partners should be allowed to legally marry and truly have the right to pursue happiness with their spouses,along with life and liberty.
It’s wrong that two heinous criminals (one female,one male)sitting on death row are legally entitled and privileged to marry each other,when two perfectly law abiding gays/lesbians (with no criminal records)who are model citizens,are denied this same basic right.
We all have to continue the never ending fight towards achieving total equality for us all.God bless you!
Great Job
I think it is amazing that this magazine is out there for everybody. I am a member of Royal Canadian Navy and applaud the efforts of everyone involved.
In many ways, I find the gay rights struggle appalling and upsetting to me. Why should anyone’s relationship with anyone else matter to society or be the basis to discriminate? There shouldn’t have to be a struggle for gay rights.
I like the comparison made above between the gay rights movement and the civil rights movement. Many times it’s funny how if you replace the word “gay” or “homosexual” with “black” or “negro” you’ll find that many of the same arguments being made today for why we should restrict the rights of the gay community were made 50 years ago with why we should restrict the rights of African Americans. Obviously our society hasn’t fallen apart as things have become more fair for African Americans. The opposition is just ridiculous.
Nonetheless I’m happy with the progress being made with the legalization of gay marriage in New York State and with the repeal of the DADT policy. It seems to me that a tremendous amount of progress has been made in the last decade and I hope to see things continue to pick up speed in the future. As a former service member (Army, 2002-2007), I’m proud to see this magazine being published and distributed to our service members.
I am deeply gratified to have lived to see a gay military publication available on American military bases on the day that our freedom becomes a reality. I served for ten years in two services during and after the Vietnam Era; leaving as a Sgt. First Class in 1978 because I could not imagine a time when my pride in service would be equal to my Pride in who I am. That day will arrive this month.
On the first day of freedom, however, equality will still be denied. Under DADT, you could be gay and serve, but could not tell anyone. Now, we can be openly gay and serve our country. We can even get married, BUT, our marriages and partnerships and unions will NOT be recognized. HERE WE GO AGAIN with idiotic contradictory discrimination!
The victory of the right to serve is just the end of the beginning of our battle for full equality. I guarantee that old battleaxes like me are not going to wait another fifty years for full equality.
Denny Meyer, former USN, SFC USAR, editor GayMilitarySignal.com
I’m loving this magazine idea, even more so I love how its officially a digital version I can read without social stigma. But my concern is what about us who are designated under the ‘T’ of ‘LGBT’? As far as what the training went for us active duty folks, being that still bars you from enlistment, re-enlistment, serving in general.
I’m happier now than ever that I can speak with those who arn’t hetro in uniform as soldiers but what about the rest who can’t speak up still. It could just be my luck to not find any ‘T’ stories but honestly could use some positive outlook that’s not being able to just accept what the hell I am.
i have so friends in the same boat ill find their info and let you you know just remeber you are who you wanna be
I still don’t know how I feel about the magazine being sold on base. I can see where some would feel that we are “being in their face” about it, but at the same time magazine racks are already filled with “straight magazines” so why not us?
Just keep the mag classy and I think it’ll all be good.
When I joined the Navy I knew I was gay. I knew I had to keep it a secret. I also knew that being found out could send me “over the side” in the middle of the night, or I could have been beaten or my career ended because of it. IThey were very scary times for all of us. I never thought I would see the day when service men and women would be able to serve openly, freely and without fear of reprisals. My partner and I (he is still active duty) have been together over ten years now and when we met we were both active duty working in the same department. My only hope now is that we can legally be recognized as a couple so that we can enjoy all of the benefits and rights that are afforded to all. This magazine is an incredible example of our struggles forward in the fight for basic human rights. Thank you for creating it and I look forward to reading more articles.
I am saddened and disgusted to see this happen. Encouraging people to follow a perverted lifestyle. The devil must dancing to see this.
Disgusted,
Why does this bother you so much? I will assume that you believe that homosexuality is immoral because of the Bible given your reference to the devil.
The same passages in the Bible that condemn homosexuality also condemn burning incense (Isaiah 66:3), cotton-blend clothing (Leviticus 19:19), haircuts (Leviticus 19:27) or women having sex when it’s their ‘time of the month’ (Leviticus 20:18). But more than anything else, God hates shrimp, he really really does
Leviticus 11:10), (Leviticus 11:11), (Leviticus 11:12), (Deuteronomy 14:9-10).
Should we not use the Bible to then take away the all woman rights? “a woman brings shame on her head if she prays or prophesies bare-headed; it is as bad as if her head were shaved.” And “man does not originate from woman, but woman from man” (1 Corinthians 11, 2-16)
Perhaps we should look to the Bible as a guide for slavery? (Leviticus 25:44-46), (Exodus 21:20-21), (1 Timothy 6:1-2), (Ephesians 6:5).
Why is it socially acceptable to run commercials for Wahl, Super Cuts, Red Lobster, or Kotex? Why is it socially acceptable to forget all those other passages?
If you really want to use the Bible as your basis for decrying homosexuality then I expect you to be out picketing at your local Super Cuts tomorrow.
If you are “saddened and disgusted” to see brave men and woman risking their lives to keep you and your family safe, fighting so that you have the freedom to express your option; then I am sorry for you.
OutServe,
Thank you for what you do and the sacrifices that you have made. Your feature article “A Reason To Live” is a perfect example of why your publication is needed. I hope you are the first of many like minded publications.
The devil must be dancing to see a pervert such as yourself on this site playing God, all while hiding in their own secret perversions. You are pathetic.
He is going to Hell and he wants all the gays to go with him. And they will, So sad
Awesome! Makes me wish I was 50 years younger and back in the service. Man, to be 17 again and know what I know now and serve in a Post DADT military!
I’m only half celebrating, and half mourning. Gender Identity is still considered a mental illness in the eyes of the military, and don’t see it changing. Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual is simply who your physical attractions is based around. Pretty clean cut, but what about for the rest of us?
*Continues to serve in the supply closet
In the published revisions and training for removal of DADT the DoD specifically made it more difficult for transgendered Soldiers. The counter culture of gay drag queens, female impersonators, and transvestites (none of which are transgendered) is addressed in comments like Soldiers regardless of sexual orientation will follow the strict standards of their gender. This type of reinforcement is just more fodder for the military to toss on transgendered Soldiers. We T’s got thrown under the bus by GBL’s and run over before it was thrown in reverse to run us over again.
This is a great day for all gay people who serve our country. It is a long time in coming. I remember when DADT went into effect. I felt it was another great day in that gays would no longer be hounded out of the service by undercover agents whose task it was to ferret out gay people. It wasn’t perfect but it was a great improvement. Although married at the time, it really didn’t make it any easier. All I ever wanted to do was serve my country and I felt I had a constitutional right to do so. So I did. I am not a big supporter of President Obama but he has kept his promise to gay service members. And we owe a big thanks to him for that. I can’t tell you how happy I am that gay people can now serve openly. I don’t know that it would have changed anything for me as I was deeply closeted and conflicted which led to the choice to marry and have children. On balance I have to say I don’t regret having made that choice and having my children. Only those who have been there can understand that. But this magazine and your efforts to build community for gay service members is admirable and I wish you great success. I will be watching for it on the internet. Congratulations on a job well done. The struggle isn’t over….but it has just been made a whole lot easier
I am so excited to see this finally happen. It’s about 20 years too late for people like me, but I’m still thrilled that it is finally a reality. However, I am left with question of how those of us who were so unfairly removed can be treated with fairness? I served over 18 1/2 years and was removed with only 15 months left to retirement. My final reenlistment was approved, and then blocked and I was admin boarded. I still feel that I deserve my retirement benefits. I would like to see those personnel who were booted with at least 15 years or more of service given fair consideration at a possible retirement. Anyone willing to support such consideration?
Im happy for you all to have the repeal of DADT but I cant help but feel left behind. I am transgendered and I was outed in May of 2010 and due to constant problems with my discharge I am still on active duty. The harassment from my leadership and co-workers is so unbearable that I actually work from home because the office cannot function with everybody spending their working hours harassing me. The last time I was there I carved at myself with a dull thumbtack. Life is miserable and its not going to get better. So go ahead and celebrate your victory but dont act for one second that its a victory for everybody. Even though our warrior ethos directs us to leave no Soldier behind, GBL’s have left us behind.
Dear LT B,
I’m a lesbian, retired now, and have wondered the same thing as you. What happens, now, to our transgendered friends? It’s a very complex issue with no easy answers, and I do believe that being transgendered is much more complex than being homosexual. I’d be curious to hear from you, what changes you’d propose that would make your military life more comfortable? In an earlier post, you pointed out that being transgendered is still considered a mental illness. I don’t think we know enough about transgendered to say definitively whether it is or is not a mental illness. Having worked in the mental health field for 20 years, I can tell you that many transgendered people have serious mental illnesses beginning with major depression, sometimes involving personality disorders and almost always there is the presence of substance abuse. I’m not saying that you are mentally ill, but the fact that you “carved yourself with a dull thumbtack” certainly causes me to be concerned for you. I think at present, due to the complex layers involved with being transgendered and a general lack of knowledge or education, the military is ill-prepared to deal with these issues and is likely not the best place (or healthiest) for you to evolve into the person you are meant to be. The complexities are such, that for the military to try and deal with them would likely take great resources and would shift too much attention from the mission of the military. That being said, the harassment you are experiencing at present is something that no one under any circumstances should have to endure or tolerate. It would be my hope that your GLB friends would rally around you and support you during this difficult time. Best of luck and I hope your future brings you some peace.
I love this magazine. I read every single one of the articles and fanned y’all on FB. This is such a huge day for us as a country, a military, a generation, and a society.
I am so proud to say that I fought for this cause. I cannot wait to talk to my husband (who’s in the AF) and ask him how today was on base.
So many of the people that make up this demographic are scared to be who they are. This magazine is a symbol of hope and normality for them.
To all the men and women that came out in the magazine I am so proud of you and your bravery on and off the battlefield. I can only begin to imagine the pain, agony, and fear you have felt all these years about being who you really are to those you work closely with and care for. Congratulations to you all! Go take that rightfully deserved seat on the bus.
I served in the army for 12 years hiding the fact that I was transgendered. Now that I am out I have finally been able to express my gender as I truly see it.
I’m so happy for all the servicemenbers who are able to just be themselves today.
I was grilled on my being gay by the OPM during a security clearance review in the late 1980s before all of the civilian program rules were revised, and so I have some small idea of what the LGBT service members have gone through over the years. I am so absolutely proud of each and every one of you, and I celebrate your victory on this day. Thank you all for your honorable service to our nation.
I cannot say enough how glad I am to see this day. My dad served in the Air Force and it was a dream for many years to follow his footsteps. When I realized I was gay however I figured that service, a long with many other things like marriage, would be something I would never get to enjoy. I have always admired LGBT officers for their sacrifice in thus regard. Fantastic that this is no longer the case.
Love this magazine. I’ll be reading often.
Thank you!
I hit reply before I was done.
Thank you to all the LGBT service individuals. Your service is greatly appreciated.
It seems such a short time ago when I was relieved to actually make it to retirement 1999. I remember in Squadron Officer School having an ethics discussion about this policy and how we were told that serving in silence was a choice and did not conflict with having to “lie” about who you are. We just couldn’t tell anyone…?! We served in silence yet sacrificed much. I’m so happy to see the repeal of this discriminatory policy. Now on to treating us fairly — recognition of our spouses and our families! Hear Hear!
I have a daughter and the only thing I need for my life to be complete is for her to have her other parent and my Love living with us. The Military had her PCS the month before our daughter was born and deploy (again) before her 1st birthday… it’s not fair that straight couples at least get to spend the moments in between the milestones at home as a family, but we don’t even get the milestones.
“…We served in silence yet sacrificed much” – Al
I’m just frustrated. I don’t understand something and maybe someone can help me understand. The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy is gone, but this magazine website is blocked on all government computers on Fort Carson. Seems to go against the whole repeal if you ask me. I don’t know if it’s just a mistake or if maybe things were blocked before and now they just haven’t had the time to go back and change it, but I’m very upset about it. I don’t know if I should mention this to someone on post and if I should I have no clue where to go to get the issue resolved.
I’m a Marine, and I came out to my Marine brothers today. They were shocked, and then they all hugged me. Tight. We’re going out this weekend to celebrate.