In Afghanistan, unit greets gay Marine with threats to life

[The Philosopher]

from LGBT Weekly

In an ideal world the repeal of DADT would have been enough to right the societal wrongs that had forced gays and lesbians in the military to live clandestine lives, lying about their sexuality for fear of being drummed out of the service if their true feelings were ever revealed; but that wasn’t the case for a Marine serving in Afghanistan we’ll call “Steve Jones.”

Most believe the end of DADT should have given rise to an era of freedom from fear for gay servicemen and servicewomen, but instead, for at least one, it has become the catalyst for an even more hostile environment in at least one unit. According to Steve Jones, his is a group of leathernecks among whom being openly gay means enduring barely disguised threats and large helpings of intimidation.

But the story does not start with the Camp Pendleton-based Marine’s Afghan deployment. Instead, it begins many months earlier when Marine Jones met his boyfriend. Subsequently, upon news of the impending deployment there followed a flurry of “next of kin” official paperwork where Marines were required to confirm who should get their pay and possessions should the unthinkable become an all too common reality of the last 10 years of war.

One day following the repeal of DADT, Marine Jones was called in to what he was assured was a closed-door, private meeting only to learn it had been called to find out why he had put his boyfriend’s name down on the next of kin form instead of his parents. The next day his entire unit knew he was gay, his boyfriend’s name and that the boyfriend had been named as the recipient of any money due him by the military.

What followed was a time of barely disguised death threats – talk of throat-cutting in Afghanistan loud enough for him to hear as he walked past – and unsubtle intimidation with talk of him not to expect any help if anything happened in Afghanistan.

Says Jones, “I have received threats in my company and my main concern is being cast away and betrayed. I plan on coming home, but I fear that something might happen to me that has nothing to do with combat.”

And of the threats he says, “To be honest, the threats were not direct. Everything I heard was when I was passing by. The reason why I didn’t look back was because I was afraid they might catch me seeing them as they spoke about me. Probably one of the reasons I didn’t want to report (the incidents) was because I didn’t want to deal with the backlash. The threats consisted of them saying I was going to wake up with my throat sliced. Other comments were like, ‘He is such a faggot,’ and ‘He is freaking disgusting,’ and again I did not want to look back because I was afraid.”

http://lgbtweekly.com/2011/11/10/in-afghanistan-unit-greets-gay-marine-with-threats-to-life/">Click Here To Read More

[Speck Tater]

1. And which freedoms was it they are supposedly fighting to protect? nt

[Tesha]

2. It sounds like some Courts Martial are in order. (NT)

[DeSwiss]

3. From the Greek:

http://www.answers.com/topic/the-fish-always-stinks-from-the-head-downwards">

- K&R

[MNBrewer]

4. And they're supposed to be "America's FINEST"

:crazy:

[NMMNG]

5. I thought it was the straight military men who were in danger

At least that's what we were told by all of the screaming nutjobs.

[RetiredTrotskyite]

6. As Always, The Nutjobs Lied...

Disgusting. Those that attacked this Marine deserve a nice long sent,.ence in the brig and dishonourable discharge.

[RKP5637]

7. Bigots and hatefulness come in all shapes and sizes. One would think the

military could strive to be above that, but we see it repeated too often.

[Initech]

8. I don't care what anyone sags - hostile work environments SUCK. Big time.

And being in a war zone probably makes it 1,000,000,000 times worse. :yoiks: