Category Archives: Blog

Obama Announces Support for Marriage Equality

by Shaun Knittel
Associate Blog Editor

President Barack Obama greets hospital personnel in the ICU at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, May 1, 2012. The President presented ten Purple Hearts, three in the ICU. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama today became the first U.S. president in office to announce support for same-sex marriage during an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts.

The president said his understanding, and eventual acceptance of, marriage equality evolved around conversations with his staff members, openly gay and lesbian service members, and conversations with his wife and daughters, reversing his previous assumptions that civil unions were good enough.

“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those Soldiers or Airmen or Marines or Sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama told Roberts, in an interview to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday.

“Our Families Matter” Capital Summit Schedule Released

Washington, D.C. – OutServe released today the full schedule of events for its historic OutServe Capital Summit: Our Families Matter, scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

The agenda may be found at  http://outserve.org/capital-summit/.  The summit will bring together 100 actively serving military members, veterans and supporters of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender military community.

Organizations participating include: Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Courage Campaign, Military Partners and Families Coalition, the American Military Partner Association and Homeward Deployed.

Day One of the Summit will gather actively serving military of all sexual orientations with experts from resource and advocacy groups to discuss the legal rights of gay and lesbian military families as well as resources for their support.  Day Two, organized in close cooperation with SLDN, will bring service members and their families to Capitol Hill to meet with decision-makers about the challenges of LGBT service in the military.

“We are excited to bring together actively serving military personnel together to address how we can better support LGBT military families,” said Josh Seefried, co-director of OutServe, “as we continue to be treated differently in the military, it is important for us to address how we can find support.”

Currently, the Defense of Marriage Act and three other federal statutes – Titles 10, 32, and 38 – preclude the military from providing a full range of otherwise available benefits to gay and lesbian military families.  These include, but are not limited to, housing, health care, and survivor’s benefits.

OutServe is the association of actively serving LGBT military personnel. With more than 5,500 members and 50 chapters worldwide, it is one of the largest LGBT employee resource groups in the world. OutServe works to support a professional network of LGBT military personnel and create an environment of respect in the military with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. For more information, go to www.outserve.org

It’s Not About Sex. It’s About Family

by Sue Fulton
OutServe Communications Director

• A lesbian den mother gets kicked out of the Boy Scouts because, the Boy Scouts say, “Our mission does not include teaching about sex and sexual orientation.” (CNN Report)

• Presidential candidate Rick Santorum would reinstate DADT because “sexual activity has no place in the military.” (Tom Christopher reports)

• Elaine Donnelly of CMR links an increase in sexual assault to repeal of DADT. (The New Civil Rights Movement reports) I would also point out that rape is not about sex, it’s about violence, but that’s another discussion.

And don’t even get me started on the rantings of people like Peter LaBarbera and Tony Perkins.

Those who oppose full civil rights for LGBT people are fixated on one thing: that homosexuality is all about sex.

Well, news flash: that’s twisted. At our core, being gay is not about sex, it’s about family.

Bully, In Theaters Now

by Neal Simpson

The movie “Bully” opened in select theaters across the country on March 20^th. It opened everywhere April 13^th. While it addresses some LGBT youth, its focus is much broader. It’s about bullied kids from all walks of life—picked on primarily because they were different.

I went and saw the movie last night, just over a week after it came out in San Diego, expecting a nice crowd of concerned citizens to be there with me. After all, I went to see it in Hillcrest, the trendy, hip gayborhood of San Diego. Including me and my friend Chris, there were twelve of us in the theater. Worse than that, before the movie I texted several of my friends to tell them I was going and to see who wanted to go. Not one of them even knew about the movie’s existence. Not one. I have hip friends. I have activist friends. I have friends who were bullied and who believe in and fight for the cause. Yet few of my friends have any clue what this movie is or why they should see it. This is tragic.

This movie, that profiles a number of tweens and teens as they struggle with their bullies, is a brilliant film. It’s raw, deep, and painfully real. The truly cold hearted still wipe their eyes after watching the funeral for an 11 year old boy who killed himself after being relentlessly bullied. This movie is powerful, and it addresses a subject very uncomfortable for most of us to talk about because we don’t have a good solution. It’s easy as an adult to say “kids will be kids” and “bullying makes them learn to stick up for themselves.” It’s easy, that is, until the dead kid is one you know.

Protected Employment

By David Small

I started a new job Monday. Yay! But don’t all cheer at once. During my death by PowerPoint inprocessing, I took particular note of the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) briefing.

I am a Reservist, so this new job is a civilian government service job under the Department of the Army. I knew there was no addition of the words ‘sexual orientation’ to the military equal opportunity’s (MEO) definition of protected employment for those in uniform once “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was abolished. Baby Steps. But I had no idea that our civilian counterparts’ employment was also not overtly protected based on sexual orientation.

Race, gender… even a relatively new law from 2008 preventing bias based on genetic disposition were all covered. Sexual orientation was glaringly missing.

Lance Cpl. Philip Bushong Slain by Fellow Marine

WASHINGTON– Michael Poth, a Marine, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Philip Bushong on Saturday, April 21. According to court documents, Poth, 20, claims Bushong punched him in the head, and that he acted in self defense when he stabbed Bushong around 3 a.m. in a neighborhood near the Marine Barracks in Southeast Washington, D.C., less than a block from the residence of Gen. James F. Amos, the Marine Corps commandant. Police detectives did not notice any wounds on Poth, and he did not request medical treatment.

According to a witness, the two Marines had met on a sidewalk on 8th street and had a verbal altercation. The argument turned violent and the witness overhead Poth call Bushong a gay slur before stabbing him. Bushong, who was based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., was rushed to Washington Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after.

Raising the Flag… and Raising Hackles

by Jeremy Johnson

By now, most of us in military LGBT circles have seen the images of a Pride flag being “raised” over a tent in Afghanistan.  The picture was posted to a Facebook group and has been seen by the masses.

Secretary Wilson’s Last Day

by David Small

Today, Mr. Doug Wilson will walk out of the Pentagon, leaving his post as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and his status as the highest-ranking openly gay man serving in the Department of Defense, and quite possibly the federal government.

In his exit interview with Politico, like many of us, he said being gay was only part of who he is. We can understand that. But because he was gay, he understood OutServe and what we are trying to do. He brought a kind and empathetic ear to the process of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to those of us serving under it.

He opened his office and his press briefing room to us to witness the historic event. And he recounted his personal journey toward repeal at OutServe’s first gathering in Las Vegas last fall. In short, he was a mentor to our small, but growing organization.

While being the top press officer during the demise of DADT may be well what he is most remembered for, let us not forget all of the other very significant trials and tribulations he had to deal with during his tenure. Two wars. The end of Iraq. Significant Budget Cuts.

I was particularly moved by a statement in the Politico article regarding Gen. McCrystal’s downfall that relayed Mr. Wilson’s guiding leadership principle.

“For Wilson, the incident reinforced his belief that military service is about quiet leadership, not loud personalities — a principle that he said has guided his decisions as head of Pentagon media operations.”

On behalf of OutServe Magazine, Mr. Wilson, I’d like to thank you publicly for your service to our nation and for all you did to include us. Inclusion and understanding is what we’ve fought hard for, and you helped get us to where we are today. In your quiet leadership, you have earned our utmost respect. Best of luck in your future endeavors.

A Weak Argument in a Civil Debate

Master Sgt. Corey Wade’s March 7, 2012 letter to the editor of Stars and Stripes was not really about the picture of Sgt Brandon Morgan. It was about Master Sgt Wade’s religious convictions and his prejudices against those who identify as LGBT.

Stars and Stripes acted within their rights as a news organization to print Master Sgt Wade’s letter to the editor. Additionally, Master Sgt Wade acted within his First Amendment rights to believe what he believes and express those beliefs in such a manner. Although perhaps no aligned with the formal rules governing the public display of affection in uniform, Sgt Morgan’s kiss was within the established norms of service members returning home to their loved ones. However, readers should pay close attention to what they read so as not to draw inaccurate conclusions from a writer’s words. Master Sgt Wade’s letter was not a legitimate complaint about Sgt Morgan’s kiss or about Stars and Stripes’ decision to print the picture. The letter served only to highlight Wade’s religious beliefs and his biases.

I say enough is enough.

Drugs: Not in Our Military

By David Small

I’m pretty naïve about drug culture. One of my favorite stories about my naivety regards a night out a decade ago dancing with a guy at Velvet Nation in Washington, D.C. Nation used to be a big warehouse club with thumpa-thumpa-thumpa music until 4 a.m. This cute, little guy leans over to me and says, “I’m Rollin.” My response: “I’m David.” How was I supposed to know ‘rolling’ meant he was on ecstasy? I thought his name was Roland.

But recently I learned a little about drugs—or more accurately, what they can do to your life. I did my civic duty to sit on a jury in Arlington County for a drug possession case. We ultimately convicted the woman of heroin possession and a couple of other things. With all of her charges, she faced up to 12 years in prison and $7,500 in fines. It was very eye opening to me to see how one night of partying could destroy this young woman’s life. She had overdosed and almost died. And now she has a felony conviction she will have to report on any job application for the rest of her life. And she’s going to jail. Her life is forever altered.

I don’t believe that in the military drug use is as rampant as the civil sector, but it’s still there and it could forever harm your military career. I used to be the Air Force public affairs guy in the Pentagon for the Air Force’s crime and slime account. It’s other nickname: the sex, drugs, and rock & roll. I recall cases of drug rings on bases, sexcapades gone sour involving drug abuse and other salacious stories that made their way into the press. If Air Force Times could download my brain, we’d be shoved back under the Army to get our stuff together (Until they find out the Army has worse problems!) I should preface that none of the issues I dealt with then had any overt gay overtones. As one Army general once told me about being in command, “I had more heterosexual issues than I did homosexual issues…” But yes, drug use exists in the military and it is a problem that the military, I believe, has taken on appropriately and aggressively.

So with my renewed interest in drug cases I went Googling, mainly to see what half of the stuff in that trial meant. On my Internet safari, I found a study on the increased rates of substance abuse within the gay community released this month by the Center for American Progress. The study, “Why the Gay and Transgender Population Experiences Higher Rates of Substance Use: Many Use to Cope with Discrimination and Prejudice” is a must read.