Interesting meeting yesterday regarding the DADT repeal and the path for LGBT soldiers and troops...
It seems there is no recourse for service members who are discriminated against based on their sexual orientation. I was told there are avenues for civilian personnel working on base but not for military members. That is, simply put, a shame.
I've communicated to several people that I wasn't for the repeal of DADT and most would question my rationale. Well, this is one reason I didn't think it was a good idea to do right now. Don't get me wrong, its great that LGBT service members will now be able to serve openly and discuss their partners. However, what happens to the solder who happens to get "the beat down" from one of his peers in the field in Afghanistan because he is a known homosexual? Who does he turn to? What if his commander or someone in his chain of command is the offender. What if the individuals in his chain of command have religious beliefs that cause him or her to overlook the issue?
It seems obvious to me that this is something critical that should have been worked out over the past several months while the military was assessing the "readiness impact" of the DADT repeal. Perhaps it did so and I missed that training or survey.
Bottom line, we need recourse, we need support, and we need a path for protection. Strategies must be put in place to address all the potential negative impacts of the DADT repeal. We can't have service members coming out (or being outed) and not have the necessary support in place to provide for our soldiers and troops.
We need to let congress know that we want and need these benefits (and many more) as we move forward with the repeal of DADT.
DADT Story
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