From the article: Don't Ask, Don't Tell
After a long emotionally charged battle and thousands of military discharges, we've finally seen the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell". Gay and lesbian soldiers speak out about DADT and serving in the armed forces. Tell Us Your Story!
Nurse Corps Lesbians and the Generals
- Isn't it interesting that nothing is ever said about the history of lesbian generals in the Nurse Corps and the nurses who serve? During nearly 3 decades, never saw anyone kicked out. If it's okay for the nurse corps, why isn't it okay for everyone to serve??????
- —Guest Wildliz
good luck
- good luck in the infantry, i wouldnt recommend it but if you choose to come down to the line then good luck
- —Guest infantry29
Leaving for the nany in 4 weeks.
- Help!!! How to tell my girfriend that I'm leaving in the 4 weeks to go the navy? It's my first time and every time I talk to her about it she always gives me that sad look and she makes me cry.(lol) but she knows that I've always wanted to join the navy and I don't want her to keep waiting on me while traveling all around the world. That's a bit to selfish for me. I want her to enjoy life and have lots of fun. I really don't want to break with her because I love and I really don't want to break her heart but I have no choice.. It makes me sad. So how to get her to understand that I love her but we have to go separate ways because I don't want long distance relationships and she hates that idea....
- —Rh33m
i want to be in the milatay
- i am at a yung age to were i have found out what i want to do with the rest of my life but what i want to do will hurt my or get me in a lot of truble. i recently came out and told my family that i am lezbian and they are fine with it. i had also told my mom what i want to do with my life and that is to go in to the army. of cource she said NO!!!. i cant understant why she wont let me and why she wont let me grow up. she does not want me getting hurt and i get that but she always tells me "fallow your dream do what i never got to do i whant you to understand that im here for you " thoughs were he excact words but she is not by my side on my idea I WANT TO GO IN TO THE MILATARY. i dont care anymore about the dont ask dont tell thing i think its BS and im a fallow my dream and go into the milatay i dont care if they have to shote me or what im going to do it and fallow my heart SORRY mom but i love you and this is what i want to do with my life!!!
- —willow1396
I am not a soldier, but my girlfriend is
- I don't understand why it is such a big deal being gay or lesbian. You are who you are, God made us this way. We are His creation, gay, straight, lesbian, whatever. Why do we fight and argue about how we should live and point fingers? It's MY life and I will live it the way I want to. Being gay or lesbian should not be considered a crime. Why worry about my sexual orientation or my girlfriend's when we can focus on more important things like poverty, the economy, natural disasters...crime, drugs? I'm tired of defending my sexuality, I want my girlfriend to be able to be in the military and succeed in what she does best and still be accepted as a lesbian. I'm sure there are millions of other men and women who feel the same. We've been living together for over 2 years. We even have the same freaking checking account, we are practically married as it is. We go to church, volunteer at shelters, pay our bills...we are like any other couple, and someday we'd like to get legally married......
- —miss_cherry
forget it
- Forget about changing the system. NO changes will be made while we are curently at war. I dont mind serving next to someone who may be gay, and I do know fellow soldiers that are...and our relationship hasnt changed because I know their sexual preference. I may be in the wrong for not saying anything about them, but I feel like I shouldnt ruin their careers. Only problem I see is that they can stare at me in the shower, but it is wrong for me to shower with women :) I DONT CARE THEY ARE CHECKING ME OUT THOUGH. As long as they respect my sexuality, I AM WILLING TO ACCEPT theirs.
- —Guest straight guy
same story here
- I served in the 80's and while I DID encounter some major bigoted asswipes. my and Icrew got our revenge, "blanket- style". Then we grew up and moved on. It still sucks i'm told by friends who stayed in but the good news is it's getting better albiet slowly but surely. hang in there guys/ girls. You'll look back and say damn I'm out already?
- —alowiahus
long time ago
- In 1980 when I joined, you were asked if you ever have "homosexual experience", I said no, but after basic training, I came out to my friends. And nobody really cared.
- —twistedbill
Gay In the Military
- I was in the US Navy from 1976 to 1980. My career was going very strong, but I was caught at a gay bar with Drag Queens in 1975, I was discharged for being in that bar.
- —sutterhillpersons
Military/Gay
- I'm not in the military but I totally support the fact that there are brave men and women protecting my freedoms everyday. The sad part is the fact that I work with a few guys that are a few days shy of going to basic training. These are more than my friends but my family. To hear them talking about signing a clause stating they will not particpate in any homosexual acts is insane. These are guys that are comfortable enough in their own skin, to tell me how much they love me and care about me. I'm worried that the military is going to change all of that when they get back and my family is going to be broken. I'm just wondering if the military goes out of their way to really make gay people look and feel inadequate. I had a friend who went to Iraq on his second tour and came back and wasn't the same with me. We weren't intimate friends but we were intimate friends. He once said he couldn't imagine life without me being his friend. He came back and barely said two words to me.
- —Guest Curt
Off to the Army..
- I am leaving for basic training in November..and then I am going to be a full-time Soldier.. I am so worried because my fiance and I have been together a while. I feel her getting sad every time I talk about the Army. It has been a lifelong dream, and she supports me 100%. I love her, but I am scared I am going to lose her, especially if she joins as well..
- —Guest Taylor
army
- My name is Jacob and I am in the United States Army. I just got to my first duty station in January. I am friends with a lot of people in my unit and they all like me, although only one knows the real me. Whenever some high ranking person speaks and talks about us being a family and taking care of one another it's all false. If they really meant what they say then they would accepte anyone. If they were to find out about any of the people that are gay in our unit, they would just throw them out and not deal with them. The things they say about homosexual peolpe are ridiculous. They talk about the EO violations and they are making them all the time when they are discriminating against any gays. It is no diffrent than being racists or sexist. I believe it is time for change. Let everyone fight side-by-side!
- —Guest pv2 g
can u
- can u still inlist if u have a civil union marraige
- —Guest snooks
Not Worth It :(
- The Army isn't a whole lot different from civillian life for me. In both environments fear for my ability to live and work in relative peace the military makes that tougher with their "higher" standards of conduct. By keeping to myself and basically having no personal life I have been quite successful but at a personal cost that is no loger worth it. I am getting out of the Army soon and look forward to being able to simply enjoy being myself again. Note: I have been asked SO many times "are you married" "How long wee you married" "Oh you have kids?" "What do you do on the weekends". I am tired of answering these questions evasively and feel insulted and fearful each time I have to cover up something I don't bring to work in the first place.
- —Guest G
Betrying my integrity
- My story is simple. Prior to joining the military I knew about DODT, I didnt feel comfortable with the idea of having to avoid or lie about an important aspect of myself especially since I over came personal issuses with my sexuality and just started to except myself. Ive been in for 18 months and im a PFC currently I thought I could just breeze by and put that part of my life on hold. But it never worked that way, somehow the question would come up. Do you have a girlfriend? Or do you have a wife? And im thinking no but I have a boyfriend lol. I've had freinds in the army come up to me and say hey if your gay its cool man I dont care. That was overwhelming in a good way. Some would just boldly come out and ask and id say yeah and my whole battery is cool with me and I think that honesty improve moral and integrity because i felt comfortable that my comrades didnt care that I liked guys. Im currently deployed in Iraq and were still pretty close. Integrity is always important.
- —Guest Dalton
DODT
- when i was in the navy no one asked me if i was go and i didn't tell anyone either
- —Guest NaVy boy
