The Denver Post continued its excellent coverage of the potential repeal of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell policy" yesterday, in an article published Sunday: "Don't ask, don't tell" a complicated web of truth and deceit.
What's been unique about the Post's coverage is their commitment to including LGB voices in the discussion. The entire debate seems to have been dominated by hyperventilating heterosexuals and even Christian extremists to the near total exclusion of LGB servicemembers and LGB affilates. (See Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting's article: "Don't Ask Gays About Don't Ask, Don't Tell.")
Over the past three weeks, The Denver Post interviewed nearly two dozen current and former military personnel who are gay or lesbian, asking them to share their experiences under the current policy. For those who are now serving, their identities are being kept confidential to protect them from discharge while the policy remains in effect.
The article tells the stories of LGB servicemembers and the reality of DADT. Heartbreaking examples of how the policy opens the door to sexual harassment, blackmail and divided loyalties among comrades, undermining moral and troops cohesion. It examines how DADT can be easily exploited for retaliation, by envious or malicious colleagues. It also illuminates the many ways DADT's application has been capriciously and inconsistently applied over the years. I highly recommend reading it.
The article also highlights the work of a nascent group, Citizens for Repeal. As we saw in the Iranian election cycle, the rise of social media is a thorn in the side of those who would seek to keep dissenters divided, conquered and silent. From the Post:
But if the hallmark of "don't ask, don't tell" was once secrecy, that is already eroding.
A younger generation of gay and lesbian service members now log on to confidential pages on Facebook or MySpace, scouting out whether a base or particular unit is gay-friendly. They can identify gay peers or even superior officers on a base, stitching together a support network even before they arrive.
Carefully controlling access to avoid a breach that could end careers, the network recently organized a nonprofit group called Citizens for Repeal. The group sent a letter this month to Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticizing a Pentagon study group tasked with examining the effect on the military of ending "don't ask, don't tell."
A copy of the letter the group sent to Gates is posted at the group's website here. An excerpt:
We, as openly gay and lesbian service men and women, write to you today to express our dismay at a significant omission from current efforts to study the impact of repeal of the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. The dilemma created by current policies effectively prevents interviews of gay and lesbian servicemembers and the heterosexual colleagues who knowingly serve alongside them, and it has left a gaping hole in the current investigation.
Sharing resources and giving voice to the servicemembers punished and silenced by this policy is at the heart of Citizens for Repeal's mission. The group is a venture of active duty and civilian activists. One of the groups' founders described it to me as thus: "There are natural networks that get created underground in the military with people that 'know' about each other. Essentially we came up with the concept to connect them under one email, which we are doing now."
Active duty LGB servicemembers can reach out to Citizens for Repeal by joining their confidential, active-duty exclusive mailing list here. Among the activities planned for Citizens for Repeal are outreach programs where LGB servicemembers, under pseudonyms, speak at schools and colleges, educating people about the need to end this policy sooner not later.
The group has a Facebook page here, and a Twitter account here. I'd suggest keeping on an eye on them.