Can the Military Decide that a Gay Person Isn’t?

By Eric on December 16, 2007

A few days ago, 60 Minutes‘ Lesley Stahl interviewed Army Sgt. Darren Manzella, an openly gay soldier who should have been discharged under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, but wasn’t.

Manzella, a medic who served in Iraq for a year, currently serves as medical liaison for the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Kuwait, where he says he is “out” to his entire chain of command, including a three-star general. After leaving Iraq, he started receiving anonymous emails warning him about his openness that suggested he was being watched, so he went to his commander to head off an investigation he felt was coming. “I didn’t know how else to do it,” he tells Stahl, acknowledging that he initiated an investigation of himself by violating the policy. “I felt more comfortable being the one to say, ‘This is what is real,’” Manzella says.

So Manzella went to his commanding officer with “evidence” of his homosexuality in the form of pictures and videos of himself with his boyfriend. To his surprise, he was sent back to work, and, apparently, Manzella is not alone.

Discharges of gay soldiers have dropped dramatically since the Afghan and Iraq wars began, from 1,200 a year in 2001 to barely 600 now. With the military struggling to recruit and retain soldiers, gay soldiers claim that commanders are reluctant to discharge critical personnel in the middle of a war.

Stahl spoke with several gay former military members who say they were also out openly in their units, known to be gay by as many as a hundred other service members. “They don’t care….these are our peers…the ‘Will and Grace’ generation,” says Brian Fricke, referring to the popular television program featuring a gay character. Fricke was a Marine Corps avionics technician who served in Iraq. “They grew up with it in the media….They see gay people as people…Americans,” says Fricke. “They don’t see gay people as people with a disability….”

On the surface, this sounds like good news. Our politicians might be stuck in the past, but military commanders in Iraq recognize that a soldier can do their job well regardless of whether he or she is gay or straight. If enough commanders refuse to enforce Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, we may see the end of the policy.

But there’s something much more sinister here.

“I was told to go back to work. There was no evidence of homosexuality,” says Manzella. “‘You’re not gay,’” he says his superiors told him. This response confused him and, he says, the closest a superior officer came to addressing his sexuality was to say “I don’t care if you’re gay or not.”

A gay man comes forward and admits his homosexuality, knowing full well that he will lose his job and any benefits, and is told that there is no “evidence of homosexuality.” And that’s it. You’re not gay, so grab your gun and get back to the front, soldier.

This is worse than Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. This is no different from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denial of Iranian gays. The military can’t keep discharging homosexuals because they need the bodies, so instead they’re telling gay soldiers that they don’t exist. To be sure, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is an incredibly flawed policy, but at least it acknowledges homosexuality. Now, the military doesn’t want gay soldiers to keep their personal lives to themselves; they want gay soldiers’ personal lives not to exist. And you know that when our soldiers finally leave Iraq that these brave gay men and women will be receiving their dishonorable discharge papers.

Our military commanders are ignoring Don’t Ask Don’t Tell because they need soldiers, be they hetero or homo, but when Congress won’t do anything, the military just pretends homosexuality doesn’t exist. It’s time for Congress to act on repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell so that our military can’t stop acting like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Update: I have been informed that soldiers who are discharged under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell are generally discharged honorably. The important point, though, is that they are discharged solely on the basis of their homosexuality.

Tags: 60 Minutes, Don't Ask Don't Tell, homosexuality, Lesley Stahl, U.S. military

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Comments

There are 3 responses to “Can the Military Decide that a Gay Person Isn’t?”

1. Don’t ask, Don’t tell is a misnomer. Besides talking and asking, it forbids any “homosexual” activity and allows for generous interpretation of what constitutes homosexual activities. Plus there’s no prohibition in the law to prevent anyone from asking, that’s just the policy instituted by the Dept of Defense. But policies can and do change. You’re absolutely right, the military does try to pretend we don’t exist in order to abide by the policy as outline by Congress.

   Also, most soldiers who are discharged under Don’t ask, Don’t tell receive an honorable discharge. While it is possible to receive an other than honorable, it is rare.

   Thanks for publishing this.

   —Pepe on December 17, 2007 at 9:16 pm

2. Pepe: Thanks for your comment. I’ve updated the post to reflect that soldiers discharged under DADT receive honorable discharges. Thanks for keeping me honest.

   —Eric on December 17, 2007 at 10:40 pm

3. I enjoyed your point of view… finally someone said the right thing! :) Would you mind terribly if I place a link back from my site at whiterabbitcult.com?

   —Political Blogs on December 22, 2008 at 6:13 pm