Openly Gay National Guard Member Brian Carroll Runs For Office In Colorado

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/13/brian-carroll-colorado-gay-national-guard_n_1008086.html?ref=mostpopular

WASHINGTON -- Just a few weeks ago, Army veteran Brian Carroll would not have been able to do what he's doing now: running for office as an openly gay member of the Colorado National Guard without fear of being kicked out of the service.

On Sept. 20, the U.S. military officially bid goodbye to "don't ask, don't tell," the law barring gay men and women from serving openly in the armed forces. Before the repeal, Carroll would have risked his membership in the Guard if he had run for the Colorado General Assembly and been honest about his sexual orientation.

"Ultimately, what this comes down to, I believe, is standing up and providing an opportunity for leadership," said Carroll, who is running for the newly drawn House District 28, and believes he is the first active National Guardsman in the country to run for office post-DADT. "Really, the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' provides that opportunity -- not only for myself, but for so many other openly gay members of the military. This really is a historic moment, and I think the people are going to look back at this, and say, 'This is history in the making. This is when the entire ballgame changed.'"

Carroll served two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq with Army Special Forces Information Management Division, Special Operations Command and was openly gay in defiance of DADT. While abroad, Carroll specialized in building infrastructure and information technology resources in remote area.

[msongs]

1. shows us that gays can be illegal occupiers just as well as straights. no big deal nt

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2. He was doing his job and following his orders.

[William769]

3. Gays along with heterosexuals are not illegal occupiers their commander -in-chief is. NT

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