MILITARY MONDAY

‘Don’t Ask’ Discharges Rise 11% Since 2004

The U.S. armed forces discharged 742 gay service members last year, an average of about two per day, according to new data from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

SLDN spokesperson Steve Ralls said the tally, confirmed by the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, represents a loss of 386 from the Army, 88 from the Air Force, 177 Navy personnel, 75 Marines and 16 from the Coast Guard.

Those numbers are up 11 percent from 2004, when 668 personnel were discharged. Since the military began discharging gays in 1994 under the policy, more than 11,000 men and women have been removed from the military.

Ralls said the military does not generally reveal the circumstances leading to the discharges. But the losses are believed to include gay service members who out themselves as well as straight service members who pretend to be gay to avoid serving in the Middle East.

“There’s no doubt that there are service members who use ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ to avoid their service obligations,” Ralls said. “However, that’s a very strong argument for repealing the law. That would close that loophole and force them to fulfill their obligation to the country.”

SLDN is a national, nonprofit organization that seeks to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” It also provides legal services to military personnel affected by the 1993 policy that bars open gays from serving.

Aaron Belkin, director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California, said evidence indicates about 40 percent of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” discharges are service members using the policy as their get out of Iraq free card.

“These patterns started showing up even before [Sept. 11, 2001],” he said. “Now that there’s a war on, you could certainly hypothesize there are those who want to avoid the war.”

He said accounts from discharged service members, lawyers and others show just 10 percent to 15 percent of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” discharges involve a gay service member’s involuntary discovery.

Belkin said the remaining cases involve service members who seek discharge because they face abuse in their unit, or want out of the military. Researchers believe the number of those cases are equally split, but aren’t sure.

Military experts and former service members said “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” discharges include heterosexual men and women who pretend to be gay to escape the armed forces.

“There’s no question about that,” Belkin said. “It’s a loophole that gays and straights use to avoid military service.”

David R. Segal, director of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland, agreed.

“There are a significant number of straight soldiers,” he said, “particularly those who joined before the global war on terror, who are finding the military is not doing what they signed up to do.”

By JOSHUA LYNSEN
Monday, June 19, 2006



Group Alleges Govt. Spied on Homosexual Protesters

A homosexual activist group, seeking the elimination of the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, continues to allege that the Bush administration conducted domestic spying on homosexual and anti-war student protesters in New York and California. But a spokesman for the activist group admits he has no evidence to back up the charge.

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) has filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in order to obtain any federal documents referring to the investigation and/or surveillance of the New York University (NYU) homosexual advocacy group OUTlaw and the University of California at Santa Cruz group Students Against War.

The NYU group protested the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and military recruitment policies on Feb. 4, 2005, and the UC-Santa Cruz group conducted a similar demonstration as well as a homosexual "kiss-in" on April 5, 2005. The Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy prohibits members of the U.S. military from disclosing their homosexuality, but it also blocks military supervisors from investigating or asking if a service member is homosexual




New York considers opposition to army gay policy

he Servicemembers Legal Defence Network (SLDN) is applauding the recent New York state resolution calling for the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on openly lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel.

The resolution, introduced by New York State Senator Thomas Duane, calls on New York's Congressional Delegation to support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a bill that would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

The resolution is sponsored by the New York chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER-NY), an association of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans.



Logo cable channel turns to gay ghosts, soldiers


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Logo, the cable network catering to gay and lesbian viewers, unveiled on Wednesday a series development slate that includes a sitcom featuring a gay ghost and a drama about homosexual men and women serving in the military.

Also on tap are a comedy prequel to the play and 2000 cult film "Sordid Lives" and a reality show that gives lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) participants an opportunity to confront friends and loved ones who have disowned them because of their sexuality.

"We're excited to be in business with such amazing storytellers and artists and share their enthusiasm for telling gay stories authentically," said Brian Graden, president of parent company MTV Networks Music Group Entertainment.

Logo executive Eileen Opatut added that the projects "represent Logo's commitment to investing in high-quality series."

In addition, each production will include content for online, wireless video and portable media players, Logo said.

The series projects in development include:

-- "The Service," a one-hour drama that looks at the lives of enlisted LGBT men and women at a military base, where they covertly combat rising persecution under new commanders.



Q-What did one gay sperm say to the other gay sperm?
A-How are we suposed to find an egg in all of this shit?