The US Marines have issued a corps-wide message of support and celebration of their LGBTQ+ personnel.“During the month, we take the opportunity to recognize our LGBT Service Members and reflect upon the past” the statement said. “We celebrate their successes and recognize the contributions they have brought to our Corps. This year we celebrate the ten year anniversary of the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT).” DADT was a notorious policy that on the one hand barred discrimination on the grounds of sexuality yet made being openly LGBT a cause for discharge from the military.
A RAND report in 2010 found that the vast majority of service members stated that DADT put them at personal risk for a variety of adverse experiences such as mocking, blackmail, manipulation, threats, and abuse. As of September 20 2011, sexual orientation is no longer a discriminator for discharge from military service. Over 13,600 Service Members were discharged for their sexual orientation under DADT.
As with many military organisations worldwide, the Marines have a vocal contingent of “flag and bible” personnel who are patriotic, socially conservative and have views about society that are underpinned by religious beliefs. Some of these have used social media to criticise the Marines for celebrating LGBTQ+ personnel.
They have been swiftly responded to by Chief Warrant Officer Booby Yarborough, a communications officer for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina. When a poster suggested that “don’t ask don’t tell worked just fine” Yarborough replied “I would imagine that all the LGBT kicked out of service would disagree. No heterosexuals were kicked out due to sexuality. The policy was terrible and needed to go away”
Chief Warrant Officer Booby Yarborough, we love you! That’s fierce but honest shade….
For an overview about life in UK armed forces as an LBTQ+ person, Duncan Lustig- Prean spoke to Gscene . Read it here.
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