Remember LGBT Service Members this Veterans Day

by Michael Jones · 2008-11-11 17:18:00 UTC
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Don't Ask Don't TellToday is Veterans Day in the United States.  On this day, many remember the contributions that U.S. military personnel gave in defense of the country.  Many also remember that, even as I type, the U.S. military continues to discriminate against gays and lesbians by refusing to let them serve openly in the Armed Services.  Since "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" went into effect, nearly 12,000 members of the military have been discharged due to their sexual orientation.

Gay and lesbian soldiers have given their lives and careers to defending this country, only to be forced to live in a closet, or forcibly discharged from the military.  Today, as we mark Veterans Day 2008, let's also remember these gay men and women who have given much, but unfortunately have received little support in return.  Rebecca over at Southern Voice estimates that nearly 65,000 current service members identify as gay or lesbian, although they don't serve openly.  Let's make today a day to remember their contributions, too.

The Service Members Legal Defense Fund (SLDN) is a great resource for all things "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  In particular, check out their two most recent blog postings on the subject of Veterans Day.  In "Keeping the Faith," SLDN Board Member Paula Neira writes:

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" undermines our military and denigrates the sacrifices of the 65, 000 gay and lesbian patriots currently serving. As I reflect upon the contributions of our men and women in uniform this Veterans Day, I think of the 1 million gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender veterans who have served. And I also think of those dedicated, experienced, battle-hardened warriors who are thrown out of the military simply because of their sexual orientation.

And in "A Mom's Perspective on Veterans Day," Nancy Manzella, whose own son served in Iraq in 2004, writes:

It is time for our laws to reflect the values of equality and respect shared by the American people. It is time for us to relegate "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to the ash heap of history and give all our veterans the honor they deserve as true American patriots, no matter their sexual orientation. The American people thank our veterans for their service, gay and straight alike. It is time our government does the same.

This Veterans Day, let's all hope that President-Elect Obama follows through with his words from an interview with The Advocate earlier this year: "...we’re spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need. That doesn’t make us more safe, and what I want are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are making decisions based on what strengthens our military and what is going to make us safer, not ideology."

Banning gays and lesbians from serving, simply put, does not make us more safe.  That's the perfect lesson to take away from Veterans Day 2008.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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