West Point graduates and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" activists Anthony Woods and Dan Choi celebrate (a different victory), while showing off their West Point rings. Senator Reid, you have a delivery to make. Please take pictures.
The Senate successfully passed the critical cloture vote, all but assuring the act to allow repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy will move forward and be signed by the President.
A little perspective that today's vote is a historical achievement decades in the making.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs graciously acknowledged on Friday, this moment is much bigger than the administration or the Senate's agenda. In the post-press conference gaggle Gibbs is quoted by Kerry Eleveld as saying:
"Well, understand this: There are people that have been working for the repeal of this policy for almost 20 years ..."
Today's vote wasn't just about a 1993 law signed by President Bill Clinton. Today's vote was the culmination of decades and decades of activists' work towards the goal of affirming gay peoples' right to serve in the military and to be treated no differently than their heterosexual colleagues.
Focus on an early hero, who is not quite a household name to many: Frank Kameny. After being dismissed from his job at the Army Map Center for being gay, he co-founded the Mattachine Society in 1950. He was among the early organizers of picketing protest, including one at the Pentagon in 1965 challenging the Navy to end its ban on gay servicemembers (below).
Below is one of many letters Frank Kameny penned in the early days to a wide variety of government leaders with his list of grievances about the discrimination LGBT Americans face. This one was sent to President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. (Right click to enlarge.) Photo: Kameny Papers.
Top among the grievances Kameny mentions:
(b) Discriminatory, Exclusionary, and Harshly Punitive Treatment by the Armed Services.
Harvey Milk served as a chief petty officer during the Korean War (1950–53). Eventually he reached the rank of junior lieutenant before his honorable discharge in 1955. Milk left the oppressive, homophobic environment of the Navy at the time and became an icon of the gay rights movement. Coincidence?
Pre-DADT, Sgt Leonard Maltovich challenged the Army's outright ban on gay servicemembers in 1975 by very publicly coming out on the cover of Time magazine. From 1975:
Indeed, his lawyers hope the case will reach the Supreme Court and produce a landmark decision on homosexual rights comparable to the court's historic school integration decision of 1954. It is a perfect test case.
Matlovich marches with veterans in New York City's Pride Parade in 1975.
The case failed to make it to the Supreme Court. Maltovich was among the 27 protesters arrested in 1993 when they chained themselves to "President Bill Clinton's fence" in protest of DADT. Leonard never lived to see a resolution.
Keith Meinhold served 12 years in the Navy when he outed himself on ABC's World News Tonight on May 19, 1992, to fight the pre-DADT ban. Discharged, then reinstated by a court, he was the first openly gay man returned to active duty. The government chose not to appeal after losing at the Circuit Court level, and Meinhold served for four years as an out sailor before retiring with full military honors.
Justin Elzie served 11 years when he outed himself on ABC's World News Tonight on January 29, 1993, to fight the ban. A judge ordered he be retained until his legal challenge was resolved. It was settled out of court with Elzie receiving an early retirement bonus after having served as an out gay Marine for four years during which he was recommended for promotion three times. His book Playing By The Rules was just published.
The clip above is a 1993 NBC news report by Tom Brokaw. It includes Tracy Thorne US Navy "Top Gun" bombardier-navigator challenging Sam Nunn's opposition to lifting the ban, and implementing DADT at Congressional hearings. He was discharged twice, under old ban and DADT. Notice how little the opposition's arguments have changed in 17 years.
A copy of the 1993 Human Right Campaign's Campaign for Military Service ad. "The Pentagon Wants to Lock Us Out. You Hold the Key." The organization's campaigns were unsuccessful in helping President Clinton lift the ban on gays in the military.
In 1995, Randy Shilts wrote the quintessential tome on gays in the military, Conduct Unbecoming, first published after DADT was passed. Shilts historically documented gays' participation in the military, tracing it all the way back to the Revolutionary War.
Outside political, academic and activist circles, America was hearing our stories more and more often. In 1995, Glenn Close won an Emmy starring in NBC's Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story. The story of Pvt Barry Winchell's brutal murder for loving a transgender woman was told in A Soldier's Girl (above).The film was nominated for Emmys, Golden Globes and won a Peabody Award. Even Fox's teen show, Melrose Place explored the harsh realities of DADT in 1994. In 2002, the story of two Israeli soldiers, Yossi & Jagger swept the art house and film festival scene. Documentaries were shot, like Ask Not that gave a stark insider's view of the repeal movement, and gay soldier's lives. Photographers took pictures, some giving an actual face to the soldiers, like Jo Ann Santangelo's Proud To Serve series, while Jeff Sheng(below) created images that, while beautiful, also gave a haunting sense of the fear, isolation and loneliness of DADT.
Our orgs have maintained constant pressure, from inside and out; Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Servicemembers United, American Veterans for Equal Rights, Knights Out and OutServe, Human Rights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Service Women's Action Network, GetEqual.
The repeal movement quietly built up steam, even during the Bush years. The bill to repeal DADT was first introduced into the House of Representatives by California's Ellen Tauscher in 2005. When she left the House, she handed off the baton to Iraq Veteran Representative Patrick Murphy who has been a tireless legislative advocate. Here he is speaking in support of repeal during a educational tour:
In 2007 the gay magazine, The Advocate featured Eric Alva, the first Marine awarded a Purple Heart in the Iraq conflict. Our own media have kept a watchful eye on all things DC and reported back to the community, including Advocate White House correspondent Kerry Eleveld, Michelangelo Signorile, Rex Wockner and bloggers Pam Spaulding, David Mixner, John Aravois and Joe Sudbay, Karen Ocamb, David Badash, Lisa Keen, Melanie Nathan, Bil Browning and far too many more to list. Countless allies, straight and gay, in the mainstream press increasingly reported and asked the tough questions on our community's behalf.
By 2007, support for ending Clinton's flawed compromise had become so widespread, not a single aspiring Democratic Presidential nominee dared to not sign on to the task. In March 2009, a young infantry platoon leader, Lt Dan Choi followed the footsteps of leaders before and outed himself on the Rachel Maddow Show. After a meeting with Choi, the Senate found it's own outspoken advocate in June 2009, when newly appointed New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced on this very site, "I Stand with Dan Choi, It's Time to Repeal DADT." A coalition, of Sens Lieberman, Udall, Levin and others stepped up to the task. Six months later, President Obama agreed the time had come in the State of the Union Address. Key military leaders were brought onboard.
All along, court challenges continued, funded by groups like ACLU, SLDN, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, Lambda Legal, Log Cabin Republicans and others. Many will continue, as this bill's passage does not guarantee repeal. Others address issues unrelated to DADT, like the ACLU challenge of the DOD's discriminatory pay policy. Remember too, the many people who funded their own defense to have a day in court, challenging discrimination. How many attorneys and their staff logged how many hours in relative anonymity fighting quietly for the rights of all gay Americans?
Major Margaret Witt, is literally a poster girl for the Air Force--her face had been used on recruitment literature. Following the footsteps of many, like Grethe Cammmermeyer, she challenged her treatment in Court. The specter of her and the Log Cabin Republicans' historic victories were cited by Gates, Obama and others as the pressing impetus to move the bill through this Senate, this year.
Let's also credit the many Federal judges who were willing -- some a good while ago -- to recognize that discrimination against gay people is wrong. Folks like Judges Norris and Canby of the Ninth Circuit, who gave Perry Watkins his first victory. And Abner Mikva, Patricia Wald, and Harry Edwards, who gave a short-lived victory to Joe Steffan. Judge Virginia Philips braved inevitable accusations of "activist judge" when she delivered a resounding and no-nonsense rebuke of the policy months ago.
So many individuals gave so many hours and years to the movement, I know there's no way to cover them all. Many like Leonard Matlovich have fought their whole adult lives. Autumn Sandeem, a face of the transgender soldier. And Mara Boyd, who drew attention to the DOD's cruel policy of firing cadets, and demanding a refund on their ROTC scholarships. Ian Finkenbinder, who during the Bush years drew attention to the folly of firing Arab linguists. And Joseph Rocha made himself vulnerable, sharing the heartbreaking story of the abuse he suffered under DADT. Alex Nicholson, Aubrey Sarvis, Jarrod Chlapowski, Jason Knight, Vernon "Copy" Berg, Joseph Steffan, Zoe Dunning, Danny Hernandez, Paul Thomasson, Alan Steinman, Reichen Lehmkuhl, Julianne Sohn, Father Geoff Farrow, Sue Fulton, Michael Bedwell, Evelyn Thomas, Rob Smith, Robin McGehee, Darren Manzella, Miriam Ben-Shalom, Trevor Thomas, David Hall, Victor Fehrenbach, Anthony Woods, Tanya Domi, Mike Almay, Katie Miller. These people and so many more are heroes.
Never forget are 14,000 other DADT dischargees and so many that predate them. This victory is theirs.
As we celebrate, remember this is a victory for a movement. For decades, heroes have spoken out and ever so slowly they moved a nation. Some statements were made in very grand and theatrical gestures:
But most statements were made much more quietly. Many people spoke to friends and family over dinners and coffee. They spoke at work and church, and at their ball clubs. They spoke on the street, and with their fellow volunteers at the campaign offices and phonebanks.
They let the people around them know who they were and how they felt. They explained the injustice, cruelty and capriciousness of DADT policy specifically, or just the general treatment that gay Americans suffer in this country.
That public approval polling didn't get up to 80% all by itself.
Many photos courtesy of Leonard Maltovich.com, a treasure trove of gays in the military issue.
Update: This makes me smile. Thank you, Senator Reid, your humanity and kindness is a credit to the Senate.
