Posted on Jun 29, 2014
PO1 Master-at-Arms
62K
614
313
23
12
11
To all who have been personally affected by this post, I extend my public and personal apology. Be assured that IN NO WAY was this post intended to impinge on anyone's personal beliefs. As previously stated, I still have the same stand on 'keep it to yourself' on whatever choices you make. That means gay AND straight.

That also means if I hear anyone talking about how many b**%&es they knocked up or junk in the trunk, I will still politely and firmly ask them to stop. I also realized that I'm a service member just like most of us here. Offending and causing strife amongst brothers and sisters in arms was my ABSOLUTELY LAST INTENTION.

If anything, this post served for me as a personal lesson on how to express myself on public media, especially in writing, and hope it served a lesson for you to choose your words carefully, especially when addressing most of us wearing uniform here on Rallypoint.

I also wanted to thank MAJ Yinon Weiss for encouraging me to deal with it, learn from people's reactions, and restating my view in less hostile manner. Once again, as a brother and sister in arms, I may not like your certain points of view and you may not like some of mine, but let's agree to disagree, express ourselves more tactfully, and stay focused on our mission to this beloved country of ours.
Hooyah, hooah, hoorah, and hip-hip hooray (USAF?)
Posted in these groups: Pride logo Pride1fd5e038 Celebration
Edited >1 y ago
Avatar feed
Responses: 57
SSG V. Michelle Woods
35
35
0
I dont believe a person's sexual preference should be celebrated by the military but if someone wants to celebrate making strides in homosexual rights out of uniform, then I say go for it.

I feel the military's problem is they say sexual preference doesn't matter and yet our living conditions are still separated by gender. I was told we're separated to reduce the risk of sexual harassment, fraternization and pregnancy. But sexual preference isn't suppose to matter because we're all soldiers...??
(35)
Comment
(0)
SGT Team Leader
SGT (Join to see)
10 y
SSG (Join to see), no harm. Most Specialists have less than five years, time in. My current status has quite a bit to do with moving units often due to my husband's job and the fact that in many of those units, there were simply no E-5 slots for an 88M. That's the case now. Additionally, I spent two years preparing for a commission and rank, for most of us, was irrelevant. So time is still passing, and unfortunately, my OCS plans are currently on hold and I'm stagnating in an E-4 slot. On the bright side, though, my experience now and the knowledge I continue to gain will help me later as a leader.
Thank you for your acknowledgement. And on my end, I believe you have made many good points and they have been noted!
(1)
Reply
(0)
SSG General Services Technician And State Vehicle Inspector
SSG (Join to see)
10 y
SGT (Join to see), that really sucks to stagnant. I definitely know how you feel. I just retired after 23 years in service (on terminal leave now) with the last 10 as a SSG. It hurt to not be selected for SFC but I realize now my path lies elsewhere. Keep your head though. You'll get it eventually. If I may ask, and if I can help, what are you missing to make points?
(1)
Reply
(0)
SGT Team Leader
SGT (Join to see)
10 y
I have the plenty of points. I had an administrative issue, currently resolved, that forced me to miss the board last month. It's still a bitter issue with me as in my current understanding, it possibly could have had a more timely outcome.
(0)
Reply
(0)
SSG William Patton
SSG William Patton
10 y
Sgt Jarrett, I can also cite studies that support homosexuality as being genetic. The information you cited is based on 1960s psychological research and less on genetics. Drs. Zhang and Oldenwald have identified a W gene that appears in homosexuals of all species, but according to Thompson, it appears in humans and is manefested as bisexual behavior. Another study based upon autopsys by Simon LeVay, Ph. D. in California showed that the interstilian neucleus in the hypothamus was smaller in homosexuals than heteorsexuals. In a US News report discussion was the transfer of genetic material where the W gene was transferred to the homosexual son from the mother and the W gene was transferred from the father to the homosexual daughter. What must be understood about research is who is funding the research and what is their agenda. Fundamentalist like to think all behavior is learned and a lot of it is, but they refute science because that is at odds with their fundamentalist beliefs on creation. Follow the money. Look at who is funding the research and then examine their agenda and you will see a trend.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
LTC Paul Labrador
25
24
1
If allowing homosexuals to serve was the way we were going, fine. Allow them to serve openly, but they should have kept DADT. DADT didn't just cover homosexual behavior. It covered ALL sexual behavior. I don't want your sexuality, whether homo or hetero being displayed at work.
(25)
Comment
(1)
TSgt Battlefield Weather Forecaster
TSgt (Join to see)
>1 y
SSG Scholl, DADT DID force some service members to serve a lie. It prevented homosexual service members from being honest about themselves, for fear of being discharged and criminally charged.
(2)
Reply
(0)
SCPO Intelligence Specialist
SCPO (Join to see)
>1 y
UCMJ Article 120 has been revised, apparently. When it still was the Sodomy Article, it made no distinction as to consent or the gender of the individuals engaging in the forbidden activities. Now it bans non-consensual sexual activity - as it should, IMO.

DADT didn't exactly require living a lie, that's true. It did forbid investigating whether a service member was gay as well as forbidding a service member from revealing they were gay. That sounds fair enough, *except* when you consider that straight people could bring their husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend to work-related social events (and most did, although some preferred not to).

Straight people could have pictures of the their husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend on their desk, cubicle walls, etc... - gay people couldn't. Straight people could mention their husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend by name - gay people couldn't. Straight people could hold hands and engage in other PDAs (technically, only when out of uniform but I'd love to find out about any straight uniformed personnel disciplined for hugging or kissing their husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend upon returning from a deployment) - again, gay people could not.

Gay people could make up a name for their husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend that identified them as being the appropriate gender - but that gets us into lies, doesn't it?
(2)
Reply
(0)
MCPO Couch Potato
MCPO (Join to see)
>1 y
LCT Labrador, there have been many sodomy charges brought, but most are kept quiet.

Circa 1990 an Airman was seen in his own home (okay, base housing) by a member of his unit, receiving consensual oral sex from his wife after a week-long outing. The witness went to the command, complained, and when questioned, the member admitted engaging in the act.

The command gave him an Article 15, which was refused, and the matter was referred to Court Martial, where he was found guilty. I heard this from his unit First Sergeant some 8 years after the fact.

In 2002, a Coast Guard member engaged in a threesome with a female and another male - at the female's request/insistence. The two males NEVER touched each other. Both males were charged under the UCMJ for sodomy and unnatural acts. I was a witness to the Court Martial for one, who was found guilty.

Personally, I am VERY happy DA/DT is gone, and I'm terminally straight, though I've had gay friends forever. All they had to do is be SEEN with their significant other at a restaurant to have an investigation launched by an overzealous command... and I won't even mention the desk pictures and PDAs after deployments and such.
(3)
Reply
(0)
CW3 Network Architect
CW3 (Join to see)
>1 y
When I was active duty and stationed in Germany, the Stars and Stripes ran a story about how a jr. enlisted male got a blowjob from a jr. enlisted female at a party, and got an Article 15 for sodomy. No word on what happened to the female.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
SFC Cornelius Walsh
13
13
0
While I wholly respect your religious "choices," your language and intent are out of line. All members of the team deserve respect, and while I personally don't share their sexual preference, that has absolutely nothing to do with our roles in a professional military. I suggest that you spend some time working on your separation of personal belief and professional role as a Petty Officer, remembering that the homosexual Sailors in your charge will need your unbiased leadership and mentorship to accomplish the mission.
(13)
Comment
(0)
SGM Gregory Miller
SGM Gregory Miller
>1 y
Or is a lack of respect earned? I personally never knew a Soldier that woke up, looked himself in the mirror and said "I'm going to royally screw up today." Our charges should start out with a basic level of respect and earn more as they show that they deserve it. The way you put it leads some Officers and NCOs to feel that they can wait to give you any respect until you've earned it....not exactly right.
(2)
Reply
(0)
SFC Cornelius Walsh
SFC Cornelius Walsh
>1 y
SGT Jarrett - Can you back up your medical claims? Furthermore, nothing is being shoved down our throats, unless you count being forcibly subjected to prayer, or being constantly exposed to heterosexual spouses. We can't have it both ways.
(4)
Reply
(0)
1LT G2 Operations Officer
1LT (Join to see)
>1 y
Well said!
(0)
Reply
(0)
SGT Psychological Operations Specialist
SGT (Join to see)
5 y
SGT Jinger Jarrett I am so incredibly glad that you are no longer serving. The ignorance is strong and your comments are nauseating. When I joined, I promised myself that I would never lie about who I was, to anyone, and if the Army kicked out an amazing soldier because I was dating a woman then it wouldn’t be my loss. Luckily DADT was repealed when I was in basic.

If you can bring your husband to a ball then I can bring my wife. Simple as that. THAT’S “live and let live”.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small

Join nearly 2 million former and current members of the US military, just like you.

close