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There is a long history of LGBT members being discriminated by the military, and we can see this really beginning to take shape, primarily in 1995. There is not much representation of LGBT members due to the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy that was enforced under the Clinton presidency. This is where many LGBT people were made invisible by the military by having them repress who they truly are in order to serve their country. As long as nobody talked about people who were LGBT, they did not acknowledge them and their issues as part of a really diverse and oppressed community. This had a really big impact on Monterey County because of the Fort Ord military base. However, we can see change happening as people started to realize that the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, “restricts the service people’s freedom of speech” (1996) {1]. The community began to fight back against their oppressors by organizing in events such as “Do Ask, Do Tell,” as a way to support LGBT service people rather than silence them (1997) [2].
Another way community members organized was by creating local newspapers such as The Paper in Monterey County. This was really important for the time because for a community that was made to feel invisible finally had a resource they could use to connect and support one another. The Paper made sure that readers were up to date on politics to make sure they could become informed voters, with messages such as, “Every local vote counts in a major way” (1996) [3]. It also informed readers about politicians that could represent the LGBT community, such as Bernie Sanders when he made a stand for, “the thousands of lesbians and gay men who have risked their lives for this country” (1995) [4]. This connected LGBT readers and educated them on ways to support their community.
Although these men and women risked their lives for this country their sexuality was still punishable under military law (2002) [5]. In the Presidio of Monterey, the linguistics department was a very important part of military life. Soldiers became students and learned languages such as Arabic, Farsi, Mandarin, and Korean, in order to better serve their country in time of war. At the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, those who could teach other Arabic were in high demand. There were nine soldiers in particular that worked as linguists teaching fellow soldiers the language. These nine soldiers were suspected of being homosexual. Out of these nine soldiers, seven admitted to their officials that they were gay, the other two were discovered on a later date. The military's regulations when it comes to homosexuality are quite strict because of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Anyone engaging in the three prohibited acts: same-sex marriage, openly displaying one's sexuality, and taking part in homosexual relations was discharged.
As if opposition within the institution itself wasn’t enough for the LGBTQ military members being silenced by the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, there were external organizations determined to voice their opposition to these kinds of people serving our country. Tensions surrounding the debate as to whether or not LGBTQ people should be allowed to serve in the military surfaced in public discussions following the American Psychological Association’s statement in 2004, saying that “empirical evidence fails to show that sexual orientation is germane to any aspect of military effectiveness, including unit cohesion, morale, recruitment, and retention”[6]. As a result, discussions about repealing the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy began to make waves in public debates and homophobic anxieties grew stronger. An example of these homophobic anxieties being portrayed at the time in Monterey County is when the infamous, anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church traveled here in June of 2008. They came “to the Peninsula to protest the evil U.S. military at the Presidio of Monterey”, declaring that “God hates the present-day, sodomite-controlled United States military establishment”[7]. The County allowed the protest to happen, providing them with police surveillance to ensure the protest remained peaceful, even though the anti-gay hate speech was anything but peaceful. However, the religious group was met with a peaceful counter-protest by local college students who wanted to “raise a countering voice to the messages of hate”, stating that “Our message is basically the opposite of theirs. God doesn't hate our military and God doesn't hate us [8].”
A more recent form of oppression against LGBT members in the military occurred in 2013 when two women stationed in Monterey, CA were punished for openly expressing their sexuality. Victoria and Rebecca Holliman met and fell in love while serving in the army together (2013) [9]. Unfortunately, before the repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, the two women were reported to their commanders where they faced repercussions for openly showing their love for each other. They faced a five-month inquisition, a demotion, and were forbidden from seeing each other. Victoria was deployed to Germany and Rebecca was forced to stay stationed in Monterey. After suffering an injury, Rebecca was discharged and wanted a command- sponsored visa to live in Germany with her wife but was denied. Under the Defense of Marriage Act, Rebecca was not considered a dependant. The Defense of Marriage Act prohibited married same-sex couples from collecting federal benefits. The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy had a massive impact on active and non-active members of the military that were also a part of the LGBT community.
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References
[1] Wes Kashiwagi, “Don’t Ask, Do Tell? Final Ruling on Military Policy Approaches.”The Paper, Vol. 2, Issue 4 (January/February 1996). Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson Papers. MS 6, Box 4.
[2] Marsh Slaav, “Time to Design Pride, ‘Do Ask, Do Tell’ is ‘97 Pride Fest Theme.”The Paper, Vol. 3, Issue 3 (January/February 1997). Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson Papers. MS 6, Box 4.
[3] John Laird, “The Political Climate: The Decision is Yours.” The Paper, Vol. 3, Issue 2 (September/October 1996). Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson Papers. MS 6, Box 4.
[4] News Release. “Another Slur in the House!” The Paper, Vol. 2, Issue 1 (June/July 1995). Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson Papers. MS 6, Box 4.
[5] Kevin Howe, “Nine Gay Soldiers Discharged at DLI.” Monterey County Herald (CA), November 15th, 2002: A1. Newsbank.
[6] "Sexual Orientation & Military Service." American Psychological Association Accessed April 26, 2019.
[7] Julia Reynolds, “Group Comes Bearing Message of Hate.” The Monterey County Herald (CA), June 16, 2008.
[8] Ibid. 5.
[9] Merryn Johns, "Rebecca and Victoria: Veterans Rebecca Anne and Victoria Keilana Holliman Share Their Story of Love Both Pre- and Post-DADT." Curve, October 2013, 22+
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Annotated Bibliography
Primary Sources
Kashiwagi, Wes. “Don’t Ask, Do Tell? Final Ruling on Military Policy Approaches.” The Paper, Vol. 2, Issue 4 (January/February 1996). Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson Papers. MS 6, Box 4
A federal judge, Eugene Nickerson, in Brooklyn, NY ruled in favor of six gay service people and claimed that he believes the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy is being misinterpreted by the military. This indicates a change in attitude toward Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and a recognition that it restricts service people’s freedom of speech. People rely on federal rulings for their interpretations of the law, this means that service people in Monterey, CA were most likely affected by and were following Nickerson’s rulings regarding the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.
Laird, John. “The Political Climate: The Decision is Yours.” The Paper, Vol. 3, Issue 2 (September/October 1996). Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson Papers. MS 6, Box 4.
This article serves to educate readers on legislators and their positions on LGBTQ issues. It informs readers about how President Clinton pledged to end discrimination in the military, but that eventually turned into the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. The article goes into further detail describing which members wish to ban gay people from the military and which members (including local representative Sam Farr) wish to support non-discrimination bills. This information is important for LGBTQ readers who need to become informed voters to push for equality and nondiscrimination policies in the military.
News Release. “Another Slur in the House!” The Paper, Vol. 2, Issue 1 (June/July 1995). Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson Papers. MS 6, Box 4.
When representative Randy Cunningham used the slur “homos in the military,” during a Washington DC debate, representative Bernie Sanders responded with, “thousands of lesbians and gay men who have risked their lives for this country.” This gives recognition to the LGBTQ service people because Sanders publicly spoke out against a homophobic slur. It also illustrates the controversy and mixed views held by representatives regarding LGBTQ issues. This kind of debate within the courtroom was representative of the movement that was happening out of the courtroom. People were constantly fighting against homophobia and incorrect stereotypes about the LGBTQ population.
Slaav, Marsh. “Time to Design Pride, ‘Do Ask, Do Tell’ is ‘97 Pride Fest Theme.” The Paper, Vol. 3, Issue 3 (January/February 1997). Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson Papers. MS 6, Box 4.
Monterey’s 1997 Gay Pride festival honored gay service people in the military by embodying the theme “Do Ask, Do Tell,” as a way to make the LGBTQ community more visible. Monterey had a big military presence because of the Fort Ord community and there were a reported 800 attendees at the festival. This is a great example of LGBTQ community members and allies coming together to combat the injustices of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell on gay service people in the military.
Wynn, Jane S. “Life Under the Lights.”The Paper, Vol. 1, Issue 6 (April/May 1995). Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson Papers. MS 6, Box 4.
This article reviews a Monterey lesbian retreat production of a play for the LGBTQ community. The story “Close Shines as Colonel” examines the love story of two women serving in the military. The drama highlighted discrimination policies in the military and discussed important issues involving LGBTQ people in the military. This was an important production because it brought knowledge about discrimination in the military to a community capable of bringing change. Bringing light to these issues shows how people were connecting to abolish discrimination laws in the military.
Secondary Sources
Glover, Cathleen. “Coming Out in a World of Hatred.” The Monterey County Herald, November 2, 2002.
This article will help inform the team’s research because it’s a commentary piece from the Monterey County Herald newspaper which provides insight to a local military veteran’s experience as a member of both the LGBTQ community and the military, and how the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has affected them, as well as created a hostile work environment during their time working at the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey.
Klein, John. "What's A Man? Gender Discourse and Fort Ord Newspapers During the Vietnam War." Culture, Society and Praxis, Vol. 3: No. 1, Article 3 (2004).
This article studies literature published during the Vietnam War whose target audience were those living on or near Fort Ord in Marina, California. This would help inform the team’s research because it discusses how gender is a source a conflict during war time and how certain propaganda can construct a non-biological definition of gender, with a certain emphasis on the Monterey County area.
Reynolds, Julia. “Group Comes Bearing Message of Hate.” The Monterey County Herald, June 16, 2008.
This is a news section from the Monterey County Herald newspaper that covers an incident of the Westboro Baptist Church protesting outside the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey because they believe the military is being controlled by sodomites. This article provides interesting insight as to what certain attitudes towards homosexuals were at the time and how the community reacted to such an incident.
Johns, Merryn. "Rebecca and Victoria: Veterans Rebecca Anne and Victoria Keilana Holliman share their story of love both pre- and post-DADT." Curve, October 2013, 22+.
This article provides an interview with two lesbian women who were in the military and stationed in Monterey CA. They fell in love before the repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy. They were outed by their barrack roommates and were forced to face their homophobic commanders. They faced a 5-month inquisition and were banned from seeing each other. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prevented them from sponsoring each other when they were forced apart.
Howe, Kevin. "Nine gay soldiers discharged at DLI." Monterey County Herald, The (CA), November 15, 2002: A1. NewsBank.
This article describes how 9 soldiers were discharged from the military just because they were homosexual. The military was in need of Arabic linguists and even though these linguists were in high demand it did not stop these soldiers discharges. Gays and Lesbians were allowed to join the military as long as they kept their sexuality a secret under the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Seven out of nine soldiers told their officials that they were gay and the other two were found out during a routine inspection.