Darren Manzella is one brave soldier!

The Iraqi veteran made waves when he came out on 60 Minutes last year, a big no no considering the military’s ban on openly gay soldiers. Despite the hubbub, Manzella returned to active duty and, at the time, it seemed that the government had no plans of ousting him. Unfortunately that was not the case and Manzella received his walking papers last week.

While the military brass didn’t approve of Manzella’s man-loving, he says his peers didn’t seem to mind. On the contrary - they were “proud!” After my appearance on 60 Minutes I received a lot of support from most of my colleagues. Some were … Continued…

Military men and women booted because of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell can take the same position at federal agencies, where they’re protected against employment discrimination. This queer contradiction has activist Steve Ralls remembering a friend’s two-line poem on torturous, tortuous love, “”I love you; please go away/ hate you; why won’t you stay?” [HuffPo]

The Democratic Party claims to have the gays’ backs. Why, then, are they not actively pushing against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Well, there are a few reasons, according to the Associated Press.

One, they don’t want rile the right-wing during this crucial election season. Two, they’re afraid of botching the job a la Bill Clinton. And, perhaps mostly importantly, the party’s not entirely sure they can get it done, but that doesn’t mean they’re not committed to the cause: The party’s reluctance to champion the cause also is a matter of political reality: Democrats lack a veto-proof majority in Congress.

”We know this is an issue that would not be met with a lot … Continued…

Some bad news for gay soldiers. The States’ First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an earlier ruling to dismiss Cook v. Gates, a case filed by twelve plaintiffs against Defense Secretary. The twelve hoped to dismantle Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but the court claims they failed to show how the discriminatory policy was misapplied. The mere act of booting gay soldiers apparently doesn’t count as unconstitutional. [POQ]

Hey, boys! Guess what?!

There’s a military man over in Afghanistan thinking about your genitals. And, shockingly, he’s not gay. Can you believe it!?

In an effort to wedge his way into the billion dollar undie industry, Naval Officer Nicholas Cassadine will soon wrap up a six-year military stint and plans to launch a new clothing line, Disco Valante, which will begin by making sure your balls are well dressed.

Like so many designers before him, Valante’s intent on breaking into the gay market. So, what would compel a straight soldier to focus on gay men’s bodies? That’s exactly what we were wondering, so we sent him over some questions on his burgeoning business, how his peers view his queer obsession and why we gays should give a damn.

Read the results, after the jump…
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We hope the military has good lawyers!

An appeals court in Seattle ruled yesterday that Major Margaret Witt can continue her lawsuit against the United States military, which discharged her after uncovering her lesbian ways.

While the court didn’t directly take on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which prohibits gays from serving openly, it said the military can only “intrude” on gay soldier’s lives to “advance an important governmental interest.”
Continued…

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network warns gay military folk that marrying in California may blow their cover: “…Gay and bisexual military personnel cannot take advantage of these opportunities without risking their careers,” said SLDN executive director Aubrey Sarvis. “‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ jeopardizes the livelihood of any service member who seeks to enter into a civil union, domestic partnership or marriage.’” [PR Newswire]

Pennsylvania politico Joe Sestak joined the good fight this week.

The representative joined thousands of other fist-shakers in calling for an end to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which prohibits open homos from serving in the military. Prior to his life as an elected official, Sestak served in the Navy for thirty-one years, became a three-star Admiral and counts as the highest ranking veteran in Congress.

So, basically, he knows what he’s talking about: “It is easy for me to see why ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ should be repealed. Once you have served in war and faced danger with a gay service member, how can you come home and say gay people should … Continued…

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released new information today revealing that the United States’ armed services have offered more “moral waiver” than previously disclosed. Those waivers allow convicted felons to serve despite their criminal records.
According to the data given to the committee by the Department of Defense, the Army allowed the most waivers in 2006 and 2007. During this period, moral or felony waivers were given to 3 soldiers who had been convicted of manslaughter. One soldier was allowed in following a kidnapping or abduction conviction, 11 were convicted of arson, 142 convicted of burglary, 3 who were convicted of indecent acts or liberties with a child, 7 who … Continued…

On yesterday’s episode of The View, Joy Behar asked Republican presidential hopeful John McCain if he would reinstate the draft to keep the Iraq War going. McCain claimed that we don’t need a draft, because voluntary enrollment works. Apparently not, because our armed services are now actively recruiting from Uganda. Yes, Uganda. [SH]

The U.S. Special Operations Command recently received a study on the power of blogs, which suggests they ingrain the military’s ideology in cyberspace: “Information strategists can consider clandestinely recruiting or hiring prominent bloggers or other persons of prominence… to pass the U.S. message. In this way, the U.S. can overleap the entrenched inequalities and make use of preexisting intellectual and social capital.” That’s why we love our military - it’s so thrifty! [Wired via Gawker]

Deborah Howell had her work cut out for her this Sunday. The Washington Post ombudsman had to explain why her paper did not mention fallen American soldier Major Alan Rogers‘ homosexuality.

Rogers died in Iraq early this year and, according to his friends, begrudgingly hid his homosexuality under the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Those same friends say Rogers would have wanted his untimely death to highlight our army’s unfair treatment of gays.

Howell explained yesterday, however, that the original story did include Rogers’s homosexuality, but Executive Editor Len Downie made the call to excise that tidbit because “there was no proof that Rogers was gay and no clear indication that, … Continued…

Openly gay Massachusetts State Rep. Carl Sciortino yesterday sponsored legislation that would grant pensions to soldiers booted under the Clinton era Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell laws. [Advocate]

Today marks Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’s 15th anniversary. May this year be its last…

Queerty’s David Hauslaib on gays in Hollywood, HIV, and our responsibility to younger gay men and women.