(OUTscene America) Don't Ask, Don't Tell's Repeal Hailed at the Stonewall!

BY MICHAEL T. LUONGO

It was a signal gay moment celebrated in New York’s most historic gay venue –– the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), the 1993 Clinton-era gay military policy, in the Stonewall Inn, the iconic Christopher Street bar that sparked the modern gay rights movement more 40 years ago.

By 8 p.m. on September 20 –– just before City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, pulling Queens Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer on stage with her, gave a short speech in honor of the occasion –– the Inn had perhaps 120 patrons, some spilling outside for cigarettes. Maybe a third were military, including West Point cadets, former military, or service members’ family, but the clues were subtle –– buzz cuts, a woman wearing her partner’s fatigue jacket, and that certain demeanor that no civilian can easily imitate.

The event was sponsored by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a group that for years pushed for DADT’s repeal while providing aid to soldiers facing discharge or trying to avoid it.

Read More at Gay City News!

OFFICIAL: TIME Magazine's 'Officer X' Comes Out of the Closet!

For the past few months a service member has been blogging at TIME about the repeal of 'DADT' and today he came out of the closet as 1st Lt. Karl Johnson: A 25 year old -- who flies U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo jets and has a degree in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University -- may seem like an unlikely candidate to blog for TIME, or wear the hat of an activist. At first the idea of writing for Battleland was nothing short of intimidating, but the decision of whether or not to accept was easy: the opportunity to give a voice to those of us who have been voiceless for years, as a matter of federal law, was too good to pass up.

Being the mind behind the OX silhouette has been an eye-opening experience. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading every comment, every email, every tweet, and trying my best to keep up with the responses. My only regret in this whole process is that I didn't start sooner.

At the moment this blog goes live I will be walking out my front door to start my first day at the squadron out of the closet.

(OURview) MK gets reaction from Alva and Frank on the End of DADT!

by MK Scott

One of OUTview's first pod-casts in May 2009 was on the Repeal of Don't Ask-Don't Tell and my guests were Staff Sgt Eric Alva and Author, Nathaniel Frank. So it is fitting to get their reactions from Tuesday's Official end. 

Frank's book, 'Unfriendly Fire' was a Best seller and Many attribute to being an eye-opener to the big wigs that pushed for the Repeal.

ACCEPTED: Military Airman Who Came Out to Dad on YouTube Talks to GMA!

Randy Phillips, the airman (I've been referring to him as soldier while he remained anonymous) whose coming out video to his father went viral yesterday, spoke briefly with ABC News about coming out, and says his whole family now knows he's gay.

Said Phillips: "It feels great. it's nice not having to look over your shoulder or worry about who you are talking to, Phillips told ABC News the day after "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". I think everybody knows. I never thought I'd be so comfortable with it. It's very supportive. Everybody's been absolutely great."

ABC News adds: "As for Phillips' father, he told ABC News that he was not exactly thrilled that his son put the clip on YouTube -- but reiterated once again that he loves his son, and always will."

RESPONSE: Dan Savage Talks About the End of 'DADT' and Michele Bachmann's Dumb Gay Joke!

Dan Savage appeared on The Last Word last night to discuss the end of 'DADT' and Michele Bachmann's awkward joke on Jay Leno about "praying the gray away".

SILENT: Hate Group Leader Sprigg Says Christians Will Now be Forced into the Closet!

Hate groups leader Peter Sprigg sounds the alarm about sexual tension, sexual harassment, and sexual assault over  the end of 'DADT', which also means that Christian service members will now be forced into the closet.

UNITED: Navy Officer, Partner Wed as 'Don't Ask' Ends!

Navy Lt. Gary Ross, like every other gay and lesbian service member, was free to disclose his sexuality as of midnight—and he did it in style. The 33-year-old lieutenant and his partner of 11 years traveled from their home in Arizona to Vermont so they could marry as the clock struck 12 and "Don't Ask Don't Tell" became history, AP reports. "This is Gary's official coming out," said the justice of the peace, who proclaimed the marriage at midnight. The end of the policy will make his life—and his work—easier, says Ross. The old policy "required you to lie several times a day," he explained. "Being in the military is extremely invasive. It becomes a web of excuses you make when you try to be as honest as possible but you can't be honest," he added. "If you're standing watch at midnight on a surface ship there's not much to talk about. It becomes very difficult to trust someone you can't be honest with."

OUTED: 'JD Smith', Co-Founder of Gay Military Group Outserve, Reveals Identity !

"JD Smith", the up-till-Tuesday anonymous co-founder of Outserve, the organization of actively serving LGBT servicemembers, has come out of the closet. The group's new issue of their magazine, which will be serviced to military bases internationally, profiles 101 gay and lesbian service members.

Says "Smith", now Josh Seefried, in an email received by Towleroad: 

Friends,

My name is Josh Seefried and I am a finance officer in the United States Air Force currently stationed in New Jersey. I am a First Lieutenant and I graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2009 with a B.S. in Economics.  I grew up in Longmont, Colorado.

I personally felt it was important to come out of the closet on Day 1 to show that sexual orientation in the military will truly be a nonissue. Overseas we have seen that some militaries still do not have people that feel comfortable coming out with their sexual orientation, even years after the policy has changed.  I hope that by coming out, along with the other military members who chose to come out publicly in the pages of our magazine, help to show our military was ready for this change.

UN-MASKED: Gay YouTube Soldier Reveals Himself, Comes Out to Dad!

The faceless gay YouTube soldier we've been following for months as he's posted videos of life under 'DADT' has finally revealed himself, making the most difficult call an LGBT person ever has to make to a parent, to tell his father he's gay.

Do ASK, Do Tell: Army Sends Official Notice That 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is Repealed!

GETTING BETTER: Gay Soldier Awaits Repeal of 'DADT'!

In the last video he says he'll make before the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" next week, the faceless YouTube soldier we've been following for the past month says he's been "very, very happy" the past few weeks and attributes it to his slowly coming out to friends, family, and fellow service members.

He also has an "It Gets Better" message for anyone listening who needs it.

HONOR: 70 Years After 'Undesirable' Discharge For Being Gay, Navy Changes WWII Vet's to 'Honorable' !

Melvin Dwork, a World War II veteran discharged in 1944 after the Navy discovered he was gay, has had his discharge changed from "undesirable" to "honorable", the AP reports: The decision to amend his discharge papers was made by the Board for Corrections of Naval Records in Washington.

In its Aug. 17 proceedings, obtained by The Associated Press, the board noted that the Navy has undergone a “radical departure” from the outright ban on gays that was in place in 1944. The board pointed out Dwork’s “exemplary period of active duty” and said that changing the terms of his discharge was done “in the interest of justice.”

Dwork had been outed by his boyfriend at the time of his discharge, a fact that he only discovered last year, when the Navy unsealed his records. The former corpsman, now 89, "will now be eligible for the benefits he had long been denied, including medical care and a military burial."

POST-DADT: Soldier and His Barbie Girl!

Two soldiers "killin time after an 18 hour patrol." Says one of them on YouTube: "btw? neither of us r gay."

TOP SECRET: Gay Soldier Reveals 'DADT' Repeal Day Plans!

DO TELL: Pentagon OKs Gay Military Magazine at Bases!

The Pentagon will formally repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell on Sept. 20, and gay service members will be able to quickly read all about it. Defense officials have agreed to allow OutServe magazine, a new publication whose target audience is gay members of the military, to go on sale at bases that very day, reports the Washington Post. The Sept. 20 issue will devote itself to the repeal and tell the stories of gay troops, notes LGBTQ Nation.

DO TELL: Gay Soldier Outed by Viral YouTube Clip!

A few weeks ago Towleroad posted a set of YouTube videos from a faceless servicemember who says he is from the Bible Belt, stationed in Europe, and deployed to the Middle East. The powerful videos discussed the anticipation surrounding "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal, and the process of coming out to friends and fellow service members.

Along with those videos, the servicemember posted a cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" by a military band, which, because it's excellent, went viral and was featured on the Carson Daly show, among other places. It currently has more than a million views.

HOW TO: SLDN Releases Guide for LGBT Service Members!

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has released a comprehensive legal guide designed to help service members, veterans, recruits, and their families navigate the post-DADT environment.

It is available as a downloadable PDF HERE.

Writes SLDN: “The information contained in this legal guide will help service members, prospective service members, their families, and friends make informed decisions about how to serve successfully as we move beyond ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ It will also assist them in understanding how to protect themselves when necessary and how to respond if they are targeted in any way for their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity,” said SLDN Legal Director David McKean.

“As has been our core mission since the founding of SLDN, we stand ready to represent and defend LGBT service members whenever the need arises, and our new online site reflects that ongoing commitment, while providing the most up-to-date and relevant information possible for those serving our country and those who support them,” said Army Veteran and SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis.

In addition to outlining SLDN’s legal services, the new guide and web site cover a myriad of issues including standards of conduct, benefits for spouses and families of service members, discharge upgrades, and veterans benefits. The new guidance becomes effective upon repeal of DADT on Tuesday, September 20, 2011. Until then, those seeking information or assistance should consult the SLDN Survival Guide, outlining issues related to serving under DADT.

HAG: Ann Coulter Wants the World to Shut Up About the Gays!

Joy Behar had conservative pundit Ann Coulter as a guest last night. After a conversation about the debt ceiling negotiations, Behar asked Coulter about a few gay topics.

On Marcus Bachmann:

"Liberals are preying on the same kind of gay stereotypes they normally reject."

On praying away the gay. She thinks it's possible:

"There are some people who maybe weren't really gay to begin with...were maybe molested..."

On is she happy about marriage equality in New York?

"The only reason I might be happy is that maybe they will shut up about it. Okay, the media capital of the world has gay marriage. Can we move on now?

On Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

"I not only want 'don't ask, don't tell' for the military, I want 'don't ask, don't tell' for society. Just give me a week where we're not talking about the gays."

V-DAY: President Obama and Pentagon Certify 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal!

Friday afternoon, President Obama and the Service Chiefs of the U.S. Military certified repeal of the military's 18-year-old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Following a 60-day waiting period, implementation of the repeal will take place.

TARGET: 'Please, Please' Invite Linda Hamilton to Ball!

Today's moment in Marines weirdness: Terminator star Linda Hamilton has turned the tables on the Marines and filmed her own YouTube appeal begging for an invitation to the ball. Hamilton says she cried "all night long" after hearing that Betty White turned down an invitation from Sgt. Ray Lewis, and that she wants to make it up to him. "I know that I am no Betty White, but I would be really, really thrilled" to attend the ball, Hamilton pleads, in an appeal that randomly starts with a workout montage, and lists her winning traits: She's "vintage," and "twice as funny" as White! Her closing line: "Please take me to the ball, please, please!"