Serving in Silence

Remembering our LGBT military members, veterans, and their sacrifice.

Even today, depending on who you are and where you live, it can still be difficult to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a community whose level of inclusivity reflects our willingness to embrace our differences and stand by one another during hard times. We know we must draw upon our kinship, supporting and defending ourselves and one another for as long as it takes. But for a moment, let us think upon those in our community who have, and have had, an even broader mission, willingly taking onto themselves part of the burden to defend, not just some amorphous entity called “this country,” but each and every one of us as individuals and families. I speak about those of us who have served in the military.

 

Since 2011, lesbians, gays, and bisexuals have officially had the ability to serve openly in our armed forces. The transgender community has had a rough start, suffering a reversal which was later rectified. However, despite being officially allowed to serve, too many LGBT people in the military are not comfortable with being out and living their lives. They have taken a share of the burden to defend us at a great personal cost because the systemic rejection of LGBT people extends beyond the reach of official policies. Today, being out and proud in the military is just an added layer of bravery atop the bravery necessary to serve. This has caused many members to continue serving in silence.

 

During the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell era, discretion and silence were the order of the day. Prior to that, throughout the 20^thcentury, the official systemic rejection of LGBT people in the military was absolute. But did they serve anyway? Oh, absolutely. They served honorably, in silence, and were denied the full and open life that should have been theirs in this Land of the Free.

 

The level of acceptance we enjoy today has come from the perseverance and bravery of those who came before us. To be sure, it’s required a team effort, but our military members have played an enormous part of that. Their willingness to serve in silence has not gone unnoticed, and we must ensure that their silent sacrifices continue to speak just as loudly as our words.

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

Very well said, and I agree with you on every point. A female sailor once told me (I'm a 20 veteran) that she thought 90% of the women in the Navy were gay. Perhaps it wasn't that high, but I know there were a lot of them and they did their jobs just like anyone else.