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10-11-06  

Growing Numbers of Military Personnel Serve Openly

WASHINGTON, DC – As the nation celebrates National Coming Out Day, a growing number of lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel are serving openly in the armed forces, despite the federal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on their service.

“Coming out is one the most powerful actions any LGBT person can take. Within the military, openly lesbian and gay service members are changing perceptions about our community,” said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). “While service personnel who come out risk their careers by doing so, an increasing number are finding that their  straight colleagues care about competence, not sexual orientation.”

Former Marine Sergeant Brian Fricke, who served a tour of duty in Iraq, recently told SLDN’s national dinner in Washington that “My fellow Marines in my squadron knew me as Corporal Fricke, and all that came with my follower-ship, leadership and friendship. I recall, while once on night crew, standing inside the fuselage of one of our aircraft, trouble-shooting an electrical issue with a friend. All the repeated talk about dating girls, and messing around with girls and having sex with girls finally pushed me. So I said, ‘You know I’m not attracted to women, right?’”

After a few seconds, Fricke said, “I heard him say, ‘Oh really?! That’s no big deal.’” “Despite the hype about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” said Fricke, “and the trouble gays would cause in the ranks, it wasn’t that big of a deal. And it wouldn’t be today. I remained Corporal Fricke, and I happened to be gay.”

A recent Annenberg Survey also found that a majority of junior enlisted personnel support their gay colleagues serving openly.

Statistician Gary Gates has estimated that at least 65,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans are on duty in the armed forces today, and another 41,000 would possibly enlist if the official ban on their service were repealed. Since 1993, more than 11,000 men and women have been dismissed under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” including nearly 800 with skills deemed ‘mission-critical’ by the Department of Defense. The Pentagon fires an average of 2-3 people every day because of sexual orientation.

“Officially, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ prohibits service personnel from being out to anyone, anywhere at any time,” said Osburn. “While some command climates value their gay colleagues, others do not, and coming out remains risky for military members. Service members who are considering coming out should seek legal counsel before doing so.”

Service members considering coming out should contact SLDN for free, confidential legal counseling at (202) 328-FAIR, or by email at legal@sldn.org. Additional information on coming out is available in the organization’s Survival Guide, available online at www.sldn.org.

National Coming Out Day, observed each October 11th, is a program to inspire and empower lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to be out and visible in all aspects of their lives, including at home, work, school and in their communities. For more information, visit www.hrc.org/ncop.

 

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