From the Frontlines of the War in Iraq
The newest issue of The Advocate - hitting newsstands tomorrow - makes history with the first on-the-record interviews with active duty lesbian and gay service members inside Iraq. SLDN was proud to work with the magazine's editors to make these historic interviews, with our clients Karissa Urmanita and Darren Manzella, happen. The issue also features interviews with SLDN client and spokesman Jason Knight; Iraq war veteran Eric Alva; and with the partners of LGBT service personnel deployed abroad. It's a must-read for anyone interested in the current state of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the stories of those serving under the ban.
"My command seems to act as if I never came out to them," SLDN client Urmanita tells the magazine. "Work is still the same, and off time didn't change." She continues by pointing out that, "I'm open about talking to my girlfriend over the phone. I know other lesbians, and I've been seen hanging out with them. I'm just in a more comfortable environment because [my colleagues] know it's hard for me to be honest and open to the whole Army."
Urmanita's experience, as The Advocate shows, is becoming more and more common within the armed forces. Lesbian, gay and bisexual service members - like Knight - are serving openly with the support of their colleagues and commands, and finding that life in the closet isn't always the only choice.
"I wasn't going to go back to that life," Knight says. "My coworkers and direct chain of command were all aware of my sexuality, and it really didn't bother them."
Increasingly, commands and service personnel are finding 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and not LGBT colleagues, to be the real problem. Speaking about her co-workers, Urmanita says that "Once they found out, it was like there are no secrets between us anymore. I can actually talk about my life with them."
The special military issue of The Advocate, featuring Urmanita, Knight and others, is available on newsstands beginning on Tuesday.
Labels: in the news, jason knight
06-18-07
2 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.Daerius on December 31, 1969 at 02.00 pm
A person can be proud of serving in our military! It is a difficult job under ANY circumstances and it is even more difficult when a person serves during a conflict with all of the political ramifications of the Iraq action. The people that serve there, however, still deserve our respect and admiration, particularly if they are lesbian or gay. This kind of attack is like attacking the worker in a McDonalds because the food that they serve doesn’t meet your nutritional standards. It is a misplaced and misdirected attack which only serves to demean people who are just trying to do a job. It is time for Americans to develop a little more complexity in their thinking. If you want to attack the purveyors of war, then do so; they are located in Washington DC! But please refrain from attacking the men and women who serve in our military.
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ProfessorVP on December 31, 1969 at 02.00 pm
Proud about participating in the destruction of what used to be Iraq? Oh, come now… “Oooh, I used to be oppressed but now I came out and I’m the oppressor, just like the straight guys! Tra-la-la-la-la!”