Gay veteran calls for end of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’
Staff Sgt. Eric Alva was one of the first
Americans — perhaps the first — to be wounded in Iraq when he lost
his leg to a land mine.
But for years, Alva kept a secret: He is gay.
But for years, Alva kept a secret: He is gay.
Staff Sgt. Eric Alva was one of the first Americans — perhaps the first — to be wounded in Iraq when he lost his leg to a land mine.
But for years, Alva kept a secret: He is gay.
He announced his homosexuality at a Wednesday news conference on Capitol Hill, where he called for the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the service to be abandoned.
“I’m an American who fought for his
country and for the protection and the rights and freedoms of all American
citizens — not just some of them, but all of them,” Alva
said.
Left on their own, free of political hacks, I imagine the Marines would show the way to the other services over the stupidity of homophobia in the military. They did it a half-century ago over the question of institutional racism in our military.
Meanwhile, it’s up to the public to do some arm-twisting on our political “leaders”.
Left on their own, free of political hacks, I imagine the Marines would show the way to the other services over the stupidity of homophobia in the military. They did it a half-century ago over the question of institutional racism in our military.
Meanwhile, it’s up to the public to do some arm-twisting on our political “leaders”.
Posted: Thu - March 1, 2007 at 07:53 AM