She Wasn't Asked And Didn't Tell...

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_02/016845.php

SHE WASN'T ASKED AND DIDN'T TELL.... Amy Brian, as a Kansas Army National Guard lieutenant, served honorably in Iraq. She was part of a convoy that was hit by an IED; she worked 12-hour shifts at Camp Anaconda; and her superiors asked her to narrate award ceremonies.

By all appearances, Amy Brian is the type of proud, patriotic American we would all want to wear the uniform. Upon returning home after a tour of duty, Brian was given a job reorganizing the Kansas Army National Guard's government purchase card program. Except now she's been discharged -- because someone found out Brian is gay. (via Sullivan)

No one in the military asked her if she was gay during her nine years in the Kansas Army National Guard. And she didn't tell anybody in the military she was gay.

"I'd never really tried to hide my homosexuality to the close people I worked with," she said. "And they didn't really seem to care or think any different of it."

But in August 2008, a Kansas Army National Guard lieutenant informed Brian she was being investigated for homosexual conduct after a female civilian co-worker at the U.S. Property and Fiscal Office said she had seen Brian kissing a woman in the checkout line at a Wal-Mart store.

From the moment the co-worker made her statement, Brian's performance record and the sacrifices she had made to serve her country in Iraq no longer mattered.

Brian is the first gay person to be "separated" -- or discharged -- from the Kansas Army National Guard based on the "don't ask-don't tell" policy.

She joins nearly 12,500 other lesbian, gay and bisexual service members who have been discharged by the Pentagon from 1994 through 2007.

"I was not separated because of any type of misconduct but plain and simply because someone else had a problem with my sexuality," Brian said.

The White House has said it is reviewing the DADT policy and plans to scrap it. My advice for the administration: with Amy Brian in mind, hurry.

-Steve Benen

[OhioChick]

1. K&R

:kick:

[rosesaylavee]

2. dammit

K & R

[MadMaddie]

3. Absolutely insane policy!

The government has paid bank $$$ for training to become an officer and they kick her out because of someone else's hatred and bias is just bullshit.

Once the government overturns DADT and overturnes the bad policy, the governnment is obligate to review all of the seperations because of don't ask don't tell and offer the soldiars, sailers and Marines their military jobs back if they want them.

That's all...

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. One of the more stupid policies...

that needs to go like yesterday. :eyes:

12,5000 Americans forced from their jobs -- let alone all the translators who were left go. :mad: Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[auntsue]

5. let's remember

the don't ask don't tell is a replacement for the previous one that said: We wiil ask, snoop, investigate and if there is any hint of "the Gay" you're gone !

[Sirveri]

8. previously they weren't REQUIRED to discharge.

But DADT hard codes it into the UCMJ, so that they are now required to discharge 'da homos'. It was actually better under the previous system, since you could lie about it, and if caught it didn't necessarily mean a discharge. They need to revamp the entire UCMJ to remove everything talking about homosexuality in it.

[NeedleCast]

6. Thanks Bill!

Not one of his finest moments...

[BrightKnight]

7. What did it cost to replace 12,500 people? - n/t

[Marrah_G]

9. I hope karma smacks the hell out of her former co-worker

To bad they won't post her name.

[coffeenap]

10. Thanks--posting the link for my HS GSA group. nt

[derby378]

11. Yet another reason to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart

:mad:

[lukasahero]

12. Ok, I hate Walmart as much as the next 'progressive' but what, exactly,

does Walmart have to do with this? It wasn't Walmart that reported the young woman. It wasn't Walmart that fired her. Seriously, did I miss something?

[derby378]

13. Could be much ado about nothing, I concede, but...

...something about the corporate climate of Walmart doesn't give me a reassuring vibe about their treatment of anyone who isn't straight.