Comments on: "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Discharge Lissa Young: The Autostraddle Interview

By: Mademoiselle-Melanie

Mademoiselle-Melanie — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 11:56:38 +0000

Thanks so much !

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 20:40:53 +0000

Hi!

Thanks for your comment.

Here are some answers to your specific questions:
CAP: acronym for Center for American Progress – a progressive/”leftist” think tank in Washington, DC
West Point: Short for United States Military Academy at West Point – Esteemed military school (http://www.usma.edu/)
PhD: doctorate of philosophy

You can find out more information on DADT as well as perhaps speak to someone about gay United States military service members by checking out Service Members Legal Defense Network at http://www.sldn.org/ or Knights Out at http://www.knightsout.org/

Hope this is helpful!

By: Mademoiselle-Melanie

Mademoiselle-Melanie — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:59:46 +0000

Very interesting article !
Hi, I’m french and I want to make an ” exposé ” ( in french… like a presentation front of the class ) in English class. So I have some questions, if somebody can answer it, it will be very very very great ! ( excuse me for my bad english :s )
So…
What is : CAP, West point, PhD ?
I need the original text to DADT ( in english because I have it in french but I need it in english ) so if somebody know where I can found it : I thank this personn !
And, to the end, I want to know if somebody know where can I found a interview with a gay military ?
I hope somebody will have pity for a poor Lesbien French who want to talk about homosexuality to her snub-nosed class ( and the teacher because she don’t know this law…)
. Especially that last year my ” exposé ” was in STONEWALL RIOTS, so, it is in the continuity of the topic.
Thanks so much…

By: Chelssi

Chelssi — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:39:46 +0000

Thank you for this. This was really helpful to me and my girlfriend because she wants to be in the military but can’t come out to them which is so stupid. Also, because of her interest, I am researching this topic for a project I’m doing in school. I chose the topic of why gays can’t be open in the military. I understand why in a way, because they’re trying to protect people but I really wish the world was a place where there wasn’t gay bashing and all that discrimination. Then, we could be open anywhere. So I understand both sides in a way but about the whole “straight guys feel more comfortable if they dont know that people they’re working with are gay” idea is stupid and I think the only acceptable reason would be protection for gays and lesbians. I am a bisexual and I believe that non-heterosexuals should be allowed to be open in the military. It’s about them taking their own risk by being open. I, personally, would rather be gay bashed rather than being kicked out of the military for being myself.

By: Andy Malone

Andy Malone — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:56:36 +0000

hee-the
beleive=believe

sorry!

By: Andy Malone

Andy Malone — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:44:28 +0000

Natalie – interesting article and I am late to the dance I know. As a blogger I am sure you concur that words matter so I feel compelled to point this out. Lissa made a choice at 16 years (4 of those 20 years were at West Point as a cadet, so they don’t count towards retirement or any service time) to reveal her sexuality, so her angst about pension, etc, although relevant in the overall discussion about service for gays, is unusual considering her active decision to “come out”. She made the choice and knew that would eliminate those entitlements. And speaking of which, why did you not peel back the onion more on that? What caused her to come out? Did she have to come out? Why be courageous at 16 years instead of at 12 years? Or holding out until 20 years when she would get hee pension, etc? Some of us know the answers already and it changes alot about what you beleive about Lissa. I think you were starry eyed in this interview and did not ask any hard questions. By the way, I support repealing the current policy.

By: MR

MR — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:57:35 +0000

I love the argument that US military effectiveness would be reduced by open homosexuals – surely this can only be supported by people who have never noticed that there are other military forces in the world! Or am I giving them too much credit?

By: Rikki

Rikki — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:42:20 +0000

Have just read your interview with Lissa with great interest. Albeit I am a canadian living in the UK, I do follow LGBT issues in North America. DADT is not only discrimatory, in human, but such a terrible waste of talent. I hope that Obama really keeps his campaign promise and recind DADT unconditionally & irrevocably.

By: natalie

natalie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:52:15 +0000

thanks brenda for your note; yes, sadly, so many people are still terrified of brilliant women. i think it’s a fear of losing power..or sharing power…

By: natalie

natalie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:50:29 +0000

laneia,
agree totally. i don’t understand the hesitation in issuing an executive order halting the practice…maybe there are some drawbacks (politically, strategically?) to this? i don’t know. The palm center at UC Santa Barbara did this report in May on exactly this issue, stating that the president has the legal authority to end gay discharges with a single exectuive order. More on this here: http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/releases/New+Study+Says+Obama+Can+Halt+Gay+Discharges+With+Executive+Order

I haven’t read the report though…so not sure if it discusses the pros and cons of an executive order.

thanks for the comment, lady!

By: Brenda

Brenda — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:33:56 +0000

The epitome of insidious discrimination based not really on DADT, but the “elite” that never did want women to have equal rights and are petrified by brilliant women.

By: T

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:36:13 +0000

Thanks Natalie, it was so great to hear about a fantastic friend and more importantly, a wonderful woman. Lissa loved the military and is such a great example of a smart, capable woman done wrong by antiquated bullshit policy. You won’t meet a more open and supportive person than Lissa and it’s our country’s loss. However, she’s on to new and greater things and I’m so glad to hear she’s going to teach future generations about what really matters. Yay Lissa!