Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyMay 4th, 2010
Today’s letter to President Barack Obama is from former U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Anthony Loverde. SSgt. Loverde was a much-valued technician. He entered the Air Force in 2001 as a Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL) technician, and later became a C-130 Loadmaster, which required frequent deployments from his base in Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.
Those frequent deployments were actually part of SSgt. Loverde’s plan. Struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, the frequent deployments to Kuwait meant that he “didn’t have time to be gay.” It also meant that he had earned the nickname “vapor” — as soon as he touched the ground back in Germany, he would disappear, to avoid his friends and fellow troopmates:
I didn’t avoid them because I didn’t like them, I avoided them because I respected them enough to not have to lie and burden them with my secret.
When I arrived in Germany, I sent an email to my First Sergeant to tell him I wanted to speak with my commander about being gay and not wanting to abide by DADT any longer. My commander said I served honorably and they would be there to support me in my transition back to civilian life.
Each one of my past supervisors from the ranks of E7 to E9 wrote character reference letters that requested my retention. My commander and First Sergeant said my character, performance and honorable service was not at question…it was merely a legal matter.
Upon my discharge, I was hired by global contractor KBR to fill a technical position in Iraq and later in Bagram, Afghanistan. I was once again working with the same Airmen I had worked for on active duty, but this time openly gay. No one had a problem.
I continue to work side by side with members of our military – each of them knowing me as a gay man — and it has caused no impact on the mission. My contracting job for the Department of Defense now is the same job I performed when I was in uniform.
You can read the full letter here. All of the letters from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network’s campaign are available here. The SLDN explains why they are publishing this series of letters from active and former servicemembers:
“Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama” is a new media campaign launched to underscore the urgent need for congressional action and presidential leadership at this critical point in the fight to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Every weekday morning as we approach the markup of the Defense Authorization bill in the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, SLDN and a coalition of voices supporting repeal, will share an open letter to the President from a person impacted by this discriminatory law. We are urging the President to include repeal in the Administration’s defense budget recommendations, but also to voice his support as we work to muster the 15 critical votes needed on the Senate Armed Services Committee to include repeal. The Defense Authorization bill represents the best legislative vehicle to bring repeal to the president’s desk. It also was the same vehicle used to pass DADT in 1993. By working together, we can help build momentum to get the votes! We ask that you forward and post these personal stories.
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Swampfox
May 4th, 2010
Good for the company that hired him. He might add that he is being a good bit more than he would have made in the service. It also appears that he was treated well by his fellow soldiers, which heartens myself.
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