As we honor those have served our country today, let us pause to also thank those who are most forgotten, our LGB servicemembers.
Silenced by Federal law, they can not speak on their own behalf. And like exosolar planets, their existence can be divined only by the shadows they cast. One such person who is bringing them into soft focus is photographer Jeff Sheng. His images may be familiar to those following my series on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He donated several photographs to the series for use. After the fold, a look at some of his work, if not the actual soldiers' faces. They must still hide in the shadows so long as Don't Ask, Don't Tell remains law.
(Warning: Graphics heavy.)
I'm very struck by the tenor of the conversation, surrounding this whole debate. If repeal were a product roll-out, I'd give the marketing team an "F." In the wake of Thursday's vote, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke to the troops. Reuters framed his comments as:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Defense Secretary Robert Gates sought on Friday to ease concerns among U.S. troops about plans advancing in Congress to end the military's ban on homosexuals, saying a long, careful review process lay ahead.
Gates, in his first major address to U.S. troops on the politically charged legislation, said he did not expect Congress to pass the repeal for months, perhaps not until the end of the year.
Even then, the U.S. military would have to give final approval and would not do so without a comprehensive review that included troops' input and a cautious plan for implementation.
"Every man and woman in uniform is a vitally important part of this review. We need to hear from you and your families so that we can make these judgments in the most informed and effective manner," Gates said.
"So please let us know how to do this right."
Note how Gates takes no cues from Representative Patrick Murphy to address the waste of money and resources that the policy compels ($190M). Nor from Mullen's Senate testimony that the military's values of honesty and integrity compel the address of this issue. He does not assuage concerns by making an affirmative case for repeal. One might be left with the impression that impeding repeal is merely part of the scary gay agenda.
Gates comments also reveal no acknowledgment of the LGB soldiers' perspective on this issue. Neither did the Associated Press, or The Huffington Press, who reported "some troops feel double-crossed" but didn't mention some troops might be happy. Or even that the prevailing perspective may actually just be apathy.
I suspect for the 66,000 LGB troops currently serving, a message that repeal was still a long way down the road would cause—not ease—concern. Gates is speaking right past that audience, as though they do not exist at all. And yet, they doubtlessly stood right there in that very crowd. And their anxiety is not that Don't Ask, Don't Tell will end too soon, but rather, it won't.
It's easy to forget about the LGB troops. Like Cylons, they look just like us. And they are compelled by Federal law not to stick out.
And because they cannot speak for themselves, the task falls to those of us who are empowered to speak for them.
One such person who has stepped up is Jeff Sheng, a Los Angeles based photographer. In 2009 he endeavored on a project to shoot active duty LGB service persons. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has given voice to these forgotten soldiers through their "Letters to the President" series (index of series here). With this project Jeff adds haunting and beautiful imagery to the words.
I applaud both these projects for helping to illustrate the point: These people are real. They are not mere statistics on a page. But like exosolar planets, they can only be divined by the shadows the cast.
A coffeetable book of his collection is available for $24.95 at this page. You can also find links there to donate in support Jeff's work (there are suggested increments of $1, $5, and $20).
These are some of the troops that are often thanked with a discharge and their GI benefits cut in half:
Kenneth
John
David
Mark
Catalina
Craig
Harold
Natalie
Matt
Anthony
Charles
Mike
Celine
Nick
Rico
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Jeff Sheng has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Advocate, ABC World News, Sacremento Examiner, and other outlets. He is currently working on a project called "Fearless" which focuses on LGBT athletes in high school and college.