Smoke the Bigots Out of the Closet – New York Times

In today’s New York Times we have an unusually hard- hitting editorial by Frank Rich concerning those who support and those who oppose full rights for the GLBT community in the Service.  The piece is entitled Smoke the Bigots Out of the Closet .

Frankly, like just about everybody else who ever served twenty years or more in the Service, I knew many homosexuals.  Normally speaking, they kept quiet about what their sexual preferences were and did their jobs.  On occassion it would become clear to some degree or other that an individual was homosexual and at least in the Coast Guard from 1975 to 1999 it was usually ignored.  I said usually.

That was not always true.  I remember one particularly nasty incident where a full commander was bounced for advertising for a gay date in an Air Force base  newspaper.  His discharge was very public and very humiliating for both him and his friends and supporters.  It left a bad feeling for everyone concerned.

This new and more open policy for the GLBT community that is about to come on line, when implemented, will need some time to iron out the wrinkles but it is the right thing to do.  Of that I am sure.

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)