March 9, OutServe-SLDN’s Executive Director Allyson Robinson gave a speech at a Washington, D.C. fundraiser for her organization that was billed as “The State of LGBT Military Service Address.” In her speech she gave a description of how her family supported her through her time, first at West Point and then later during her military career as an officer. Toward the end of that description, she stated:
“ … That’s our story, the story of a family sticking together to achieve a goal so lofty none of us could have done it on our own – but in many ways, it’s our story, isn’t it? It’s the story of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which stood up in 1993 to defend servicemembers against the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law and grew to assist more than 13,000 LGBT servicemembers and veterans, many of whom went on to become supporters, board members and staffers themselves.”
That wasn’t my experience with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) in March 2000. I contacted SLDN by email regarding my then current Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) difficulties. My chain of command had the perception I was gay. I had a subordinate tell a lie where he stated that I made a sexual advance toward him.
In a meeting with my chain of command in the office of the USS Coronado’s executive officer (XO), my XO tried to avoid the DADT barred question of “Are you gay,” so instead he asked me, “Is there anything you want to tell us about?” I knew it was a veiled question about my sexual orientation, so I contacted SLDN. They never contacted me back.
At a San Diego Pride festival in 2004 I asked an attorney who was staffing the SLDN booth why they didn’t contact me about my DADT situation after I contacted them. She mentioned something about the limited staff the organization had at the time.
I took the tact of filing an informal complaint against my subordinate, and a formal complaint against my XO stating I was sexually harassed, and the command investigation sustained my complaints – the investigator concluded that my subordinate and my XO had indeed sexually harassed me.
In 2004 and 2005 SLDN, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and American Veterans for Equal rights developed, and were collecting stories for the “Documenting Courage” campaign.
The joint program, which SLDN was taking the lead on, was collecting the stories of veterans who had DADT stories in an effort to see DADT repealed. I participated because I wanted at least one story of a trans veteran included in that collection.
Now in 2013, OutServe-SLDN has a trans woman as their executive director. In an interview published in LGBT Weekly (Nov. 1, 2012), Robinson stated that open service for trans servicemembers was one of the four major goals of the organization in coming years – the repeal of DADT didn’t result in trans people being able to serve openly in the military services.
Times have certainly changed since my experience with SLDN in 2000. OutServe Magazine has a trans columnist, and in some of her columns she’s telling the stories of trans people who have been impacted by the military’s policy of not allowing even post-operative trans people to serve openly.
In the same speech I quoted at the beginning of this column, Robinson announced a new initiative for her organization: they’re committing themselves to growing their membership from the current 6,000 to 14,000 actively serving members by the end of 2014 – that’s one for every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, and Coast Guardsman kicked out under DADT. New categories for membership will include veterans and allies.
When an OutServe-SLDN chapter is formed in San Diego that includes military veterans, I’ll be joining. I’m proud to be an LGBT veteran, and supporting the organization in its quest for ordinary equality for active duty LGBT servicemembers is something I can get behind 100 percent.
Again, I don’t see how the military can possibly accommodate open service by “transgender” persons. Seriously…the fact that many transgender people suffer from serious issues like depression aside, what is proposed? That male bodied soldiers who claim to be women be housed with females? Or with men? Neither would be without serious problems. What about those who are only “women” part time? Would they be assigned to two different units. and switch as the mood strikes them?
This is a seriously bad idea, and one that will, quite likely, blow up in the face of those pushing it.
I served and was Honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy Sept. 6, 2001 – Sept.
5, 2005 ~ I served as an enlisted personnel prior to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” being repelled as a lesbian and am a transgender man. The military can accommodate open service for transgender people.
Many people, civilian, sailors & soldiers alike suffer from serious issues like
depression, addiction, and a whole host of other mental & emotional challenges.
Our country, our culture should move in a progressive way to bridge the gaps of disparity. Create new ideas, positive behaviors, & healthy ways to engage with one another.
Social experimentation is not the purpose of the military. And the issue is not someone serving, but serving openly. Obviously you did not dand to be treated as a male. That is the issue here. Countless cross dressers have served without being open about it. And some who would even go on to cross dress fill time. Even some who might actually be transsexual have served. But they were not open about it. That would be highly destructive to our national defense.
In Canada we have had trans people serving openly for years. We even pay for our soldier’s transitions. It helps that we have an actual integrated military, none of this “chicks can’t shoot guns” business that the US has and no gender segregation in combat units.
And when it comes to your national defense, you pretty much depend, as does most of the free world, on the United States military, which you, and others, are trying to bring down to your level….be careful of what you wish for.
Really cool read, thanks for sharing a bit of your story and a lot of history.