Talk about deja vu. Jason Knight has again been discharged for speaking out about his sexuality. Knight first got the boot back in 2004, but a clerical error led to his proud reenlistment. A true patriot, Knight refused to keep mum on his gay ways and spoke to both Stars and Stripes and Pam Spaulding about being a gay serviceman. Well, it seems navy officials weren’t down with his big mouth:
The United States Navy has informed Petty Officer Second Class Jason Knight that it intends to fire him under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law… [Knight] was notified yesterday that he will be receiving an honorable discharge from the Navy based, in part, on his recent media interviews. Knight was scheduled to end his commitment on May 28, 2007, but will face early dismissal because he chose to go public about his experience.
Of his second discharge, Knight – a trained Hebrew linguist – remarked:
I have now spent five years in the Navy, and I have loved every minute of it. It is unfortunate that in our country, which prides itself on being a beacon of liberty to the world, discrimination is still alive and well, even in our own government. I am proud to be among the one million gay veterans who have answered the call to duty, and I look forward to working alongside them to topple this un-American and counter-productive law.
Sounds like we haven’t heard the last of young, heroic Knight…
RC
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is such a stupid policy for the military. All 4 branches, most especially the navy (of course. It would be the navy) have lost thousands of their brightest and best qualified.
That said, it does bother me when people assume it’s the military as an institution that is the sole and biggest reason for DADT. They are a reason, but it is instead the systemic homophobia among the rank and file that is the real issue. Homosexuals in the military are not numerous enough to protect each other, as racial minorites could when the forces were integrated. The military knows it doesn’t have the ability to prevent violence, only punish it, IF they can prove who did it. Big If. Some specialties, usually the ones that require more skill, education, and intelligence, have a substantial number of gay servicepeople going quietly about their lives; I personally know a few. They do their jobs well, and do as all officers are encouraged: keep home and work separate. And most people know they’re gay, but no one cares. But can you imagine life as a grunt or seaman? Ninth grade gym class all over again.