An Army of 1 in 10

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff yesterday placed his personal beliefs ahead of human decency, equality, and national security. General Pace stated that he believes homosexuality to be immoral and that gay Soldiers should continue to be subject to being fired for a condition they did not choose. What I found interesting, is that he said that adultery was also immoral (it is) but made no mention of enacting a policy to separate adulterous service members.

“I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way,” Pace told the newspaper in a wide-ranging interview.

Pace, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a 1967 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, said he based his views on his upbringing.

He said he supports the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” in which gay men and women are allowed in the military as long as they keep their sexual orientation private. The policy, signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, prohibits commanders from asking about a person’s sexual orientation.

“I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts,” Pace said.

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Earlier today, I read the following comment on a blog:

A bisexual person as in your case is just a confussed[sic] fag, afraid to be yourself…GAY

Now, I’m not going to say where this was posted, because I don’t want to call the person out, but it did get me to thinking. This is not the first time I’ve seen this attitude and it exhibits something that I’m going to call biphobia. I’m sure I’m not the first to coin this term (I haven’t googled it to check), so I’m certainly not going to lay claim to it. My view on the matter is that it’s no different from homophobia, and I’m going to explain why.

First, let’s examine the typical homophobe:

1. Is a heterosexual and has no experience at being homosexual
2. Was raised to believe that homosexuality is immoral
3. Considers homosexuality to be either:
   • a choice, or
   • a mental disorder
4. May (or may not) manifest his (or her) homophobia as outright dislike for homosexuals

The first indicator leads into the others — a heterosexual, by definition, does not understand the sexual attraction which comprises homosexuality. This is normal for a human since it’s difficult to understand something that you have no personal experience with. To a heterosexual, being sexually attracted to the opposite sex is the norm and it’s incomprehensible how anyone could possibly be attracted to someone of the same sex. This is also true of homosexuals, but in reverse.

What makes a homophobe though, is not this indicator alone. It requires that the person believes homosexuality to be immoral, which is manifested in usually one of two concepts: that it’s a choice or a mental disorder. Those who subscribe to the belief that it’s a choice either ignore or dismiss as irrelevant the fact that they never made a conscious choice to be heterosexual. The belief that it’s a mental disorder is usually an attempt at sympathy for “the plight of the homosexual.”

Homophobia can therefore be reduced to this:  an inability to recognize that human sexuality is diverse in the forms it takes.  I’m no psychologist, but this must be some form of mental disorder under the DSM.

Now, let’s examine the typical biphobe:

1. Is a homosexual and has no experience at being heterosexual
2. Firmly believes in the duality of human sexuality, i.e. that sexual orientation only manifests as either:
   1. heterosexuality, or
   2. homosexuality
3. Expresses his (or her) biphobia as hostility or outright dislike toward bisexuals

As I’ve already stated, #1 is perfectly normal for humans.  The twist with biphobia is that it’s generally found in homosexuals (heterosexuals who are biphobic are generally also homophobic).  It may also be associated with latent or blatant heterophobia.

Just like the homophobe who finds it difficult to believe that homosexuality can exist as a natural part of human sexuality, the biphobe is fervent in his (or her) belief that human sexuality is expressed as only homosexuality or heterosexuality, with no grey area in the middle.  The biphobe often believes that a bisexual is merely a homosexual suffering from internalized homophobia, or is someone claiming to be bi because it’s “cool.”

So therefore, biphobia can therefore be reduced to this:  an inability to recognize that human sexuality is diverse in the forms it takes.

Homophobia and biphobia — two sides of the same coin.  Think about it.

Someone left a comment the other day on one of my posts and left a link that I found very interesting. It’s the story of how the United States Navy sought straight sailors to volunteer for a mission that involved having gay sex, documenting it, then using that information to out their fellow sailors and ruin their lives and careers. I read that and couldn’t help noting how times have changed since then and today, when we’re on the verge of opening the military to openly gay service.

When Straight Guys Go Gay

This week I searched high, and I searched low, and I finally found a site worthy of being named BotW. Okay so I’m exaggerating a bit, but this week’s BotW is an interesting one with an equally interesting color scheme.

Jeremie Dot US: Unfit to Print is my pick this week. The author is a 19 year student from Colorado who is currently living in Mount Vernon, Washington. Jeremie is an independent thinker who doesn’t buy into the rhetoric on either side of the political aisle and has his own opinions on matters.

Here is an excellent example of what I mean: Will You Please Get A Life?.

I’ve been perusing his blog for the better part of an hour today and it has really impressed me with his method of thinking, which is why I’ve decided to name it as the Blog of the Week today. So I’ll quit with the blabbing already and ask you to go take a look at this fine young man’s blog.

I found this image somewhere, and though I’m sure it’s already been seen a million times, I found it amusing enough to share with you guys. Still, it does put the ridiculous arguments against lifting the ban into another perspective.

“I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people. Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays. From my point of view, I would ban religion completely.” Read more… (Fox News)

It’s very easy to think of gay people as being on the left side of the political spectrum and supporting the Democrats no matter what promises are made and then broken. This, however, would be a mistake — there are homosexuals on the right side of the aisle. Many (including myself) consider themselves Republican, while others, being disgusted by the actions or inactions of the Republicans, call themselves independents.

This week’s Blog of the Week goes to a great one I’ve been following for a couple of years: Right Side of the Rainbow. It’s run by Paul Simmons, a self-described “right-of-center, gun-owning, gay Texan.” Don’t expect him to be drinking the Republican kool-aid though — he’s very capable of dishing out scathing criticism toward Republicans as well as the Democrats.

If you’re in the market for a different point of view on politics, then you should absolutely take a look at Paul’s blog. Perhaps you’ll even gain a different perspective on the issues which matter to us all.

Every year at this time, the nation honors the brave men and women who have placed their lives on the line or given their lives to defend our great nation. This holiday began as Armistice Day, observed by several countries to remember the end of the Great War, but soon evolved into its present form here in the United States. While I absolutely do not wish to diminish the sacrifices my forebears made, today I would like to use the day to recognize a few vets who were caught up in the gears of the military’s anti-gay stance.

Jeff Howe¹
Specialist Jeff Howe joined the Army at the age of 29 after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and a lot of thought. Deciding that he could sacrifice being out of the closet in order to serve his country, he enlisted and went to basic training at Fort Sill. After his training was complete, he PCS’d to Fort Riley where he found out that his unit was deploying to Iraq in only three days. He served there until the spring of 2004, and then returned to Fort Riley. As he was preparing to ETS, he was stop-lossed and was redeployed to Iraq.

After arriving back in Iraq, he began blogging about his experiences in that country with the approval and encouragement from his company commander. The fateful day came that July when a convoy was attacked by enemy RPG’s and his commander instructed him to post photos of the attack on his blog. However, the brigade commander ordered the photos and blog removed when he found out about them. He even went further and ordered a 15-6 investigation to find out whether or not SPC Howe had any ties to terrorists. It was during the course of this investigation that it was discovered that he had a profile on a gay site (I’m assuming Gay.com). SPC Howe was then immediately processed for separation from the U.S. Army.

Austin Rook¹
Captain Austin Rooke is another Iraq vet who is no longer in the military because of DADT. The difference between him and SPC Howe, is that he chose to leave the Army after his service obligation ended. CPT Rooke was an intelligence officer who didn’t experience as much homophobia as many other Soldiers until he deployed to Qatar. When he arrived, he was in for a bit of some culture shock: as an intelligence officer, he was able to enjoy a lack of ignorance in his branch and even engage in conversations on gays in the military; in Qatar, things were vastly different. His brigade commander was a homophobe, he didn’t have a support structure that he could turn to, and was far from home in a war zone.

“Homophobia is part of the culture—and it’s part of the culture because it’s the law,” he says. It was due to this rampant homophobia in the unit he was assigned to that he really had to keep his orientation a secret in order to ensure his safety.

Barry Winchell²
Private First Class Barry Winchell is more well-known than SPC Howe and CPT Rooke. That’s because he was brutally slain by two members of his platoon at Fort Campbell in the early morning of 5 Jul 99. While he wasn’t necessarily gay, he was perceived to be due to his relationship with Calpernia Addams, a MtF showgirl he met at a club. Interestingly enough, it was his roommate, Specialist Justin Fisher who took him to the club in the first place.

Several months after PFC Winchell and Calpernia began dating, SPC Fisher and another buddy, Private Calvin Glover attacked Winchell as he slept in his bed with baseball bats. PFC Winchell died of blunt force trauma and massive internal injuries the next day. PVT Glover is currently serving a life sentence, but Fisher has recently been released from prison.

Allen Schindler³
Radioman Third Class Allen Schindler was a sailor assigned to the USS Belleau Wood in 1992. Like PFC Winchell after him, ET3 Schindler was brutally murdered by two fellow sailors. Terry Helvey and Charles Vins attacked him in a public restroom in Sasebo, Japan and beat and stomped him to death. The attack was so brutal that they destroyed every internal organ in Schindler’s body, and the only way he could be identified was through tattoos on his arms. The medical examiner who conducted the autopsy stated that the injuries were similar to those caused by an airplane crash or a high-speed car accident. ET3 Schindler’s penis bore cut marks, all but two of his ribs were broken, and his liver even had holes large enough to see through.

During the interrogation, Helvey stated that he hated homosexuals and that he was disgusted by them. A part of that statement also included the following words: I don’t regret it. I’d do it again. … He deserved it.

Sources:
¹ Jeff Howe and Austin Rooke

² Wikipedia SLDN

³ Allen Schindler Memorial

With the recent report that the military is stepping up its monitoring of service members’ blogs in order to protect itself against OPSEC violations, SLDN would like to direct LGBT service members to its online safety guidelines on Gay.com.

As part of the upcoming one-year anniversary of An Army of 1 in 10, and an attempt to get back into the swing of blogging, I am starting a new weekly feature: The Blog of the Week. The criteria for being named as Blog of the Week are entirely subjective and dependent on my mood as I traverse the net throughout the week.

This week, the honor of the first Blog of the Week goes to Matt Hill Comer.

Matt is a student at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is active in politics, student activism, education, and working to end anti-gay sentiment. At the age of fourteen, he came out as being gay and established the second Gay-Straight Alliance in his school district the following school year as a freshman. He joined his local Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network chapter soon afterward and was invited to become a member of its board of directors. His outspokenness and activism soon led to his expulsion from the Boy Scouts of America, and he has since been involved in the movement to end discrimination against gay scouts in the BSA.

Some of the awards he has received for his work include:

• The Inclusive Scouting Distinguished Service Award
• The Nancy Anne Harris Greenfield Community Award
• Finalist, 2004 Nancy Susan Reynolds Award in the area of Advocacy
• 2004 and 2006 HRC Carolinas Gala Youth Dinner Scholarship

You can read more this extraordinary young man on his About Me page. I can think of no better blog to select as my first Blog of the Week than Matt Hill Comer’s, considering all the hard work he has done in the past six years for gay rights.