Three Retired Top Brass Come Out

Wed. December 10, 2003 12:00 AM by 365gay.com

New York City - Two brigadier generals and a rear admiral, all retired, came out Wednesday in interviews with the New York Times, to mark the 10th anniversary of "don't ask, don't tell".

The three, Army Brig. Gens. Keith Kerr and Virgil Richard and Coast Guard Rear Adm. Alan Steinman, have been longtime vocal opponents of "don't ask, don't tell" but it is the first time they publicly announced they are gay.

They are the most senior officers to come out, but, all three said they were afraid to go public while still in the service because they would have been fired.

The former officers said they had been forced to lie to their friends, family and colleagues to serve their country. In doing so, they said, they had to evade and deceive others about a natural part of their identity.

"Because gays and lesbians are required to serve in silence and in celibacy," Admiral Steinman told the Times, "the policy is almost impossible to follow. It has been effectively a ban." Although the Coast Guard is not under the authority of the Pentagon, it follows the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

"I was denied the opportunity to share my life with a loved one, to have a family, to do all the things that heterosexual Americans take for granted," Admiral Steinman said. "That's the sacrifice I made to serve my country."

"I didn't even tell my family I was gay until after I retired from the military," he added.

General Kerr, who retired from the California State Military Reserves in 1995 after 31 years in the Army and the Reserves, primarily with intelligence groups, said it had taken a long time for him to decide to come out. "The culture of the military is that you go along and conform," he said. "And you keep your private life to yourself."

General Richard said "don't ask, don't tell" had damaged military readiness and recruitment and retention of soldiers. "There are gays and lesbians who want to serve honorably and with integrity, but have been forced to compromise," he told the Times. "It is a matter of honor and integrity."

The three were made available to the Times by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network to mark the 10th anniversary of "don't ask. don't tell".

"This is a significant occasion for the military community," said C. Dixon Osburn, Executive Director of the SLDN.

"They provide irrefutable evidence that our community makes important, lasting contributions to our armed forces . Our nation should salute them for their service, their honesty and their courage."

Nearly 10,000 service members have been discharged for being gay under the policy, which was signed into law by Clinton on Nov. 30, 1993, according to the SLDN.

©365Gay.com® 2003

This article originally appeared on 365gay.com. Republished with permission.

 

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