The Chicago History Museum hosted a panel on "Gays in the Military" as part of its "In the K/now" series Nov. 10Veterans Day eve.
At the event, three distinguished panel members discussed the history of "don't ask, don't tell," the current state of LGBT military members, and what still needs to happen in the fight for equality.
Panelist Jim Darby, president of the Chicago chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights ( AVER ) , was drafted in 1952. "Back then was the Stone Age," he told the crowd. In the 1950s, recruiters could outright ask potential service members about their sexuality; saying you were gay was cause for automatic dismissal.
However, this fact didn't stop Darby.
When filling out paperwork for his entrance into the military, Darby checked the "no" box on the bottom line of his application. " [ My sexual orientation ] wasn't anyone's business, but my own," he said.
Darby served in the Navy from 1952 to 1956 as a communications technician-second class, given top-secret clearance as a cryptographer and Russian linguist. Darby was stationed in places such as Germany and French Morocco, and he was recognized with the National Defense Service Medal and the Naval Occupation Service Medal.
After his service, Darby spent time campaigning for veterans and working toward equality, at both the local and national levels. He became a member of GLBVA ( Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Veterans of America ) /AVER in 1991.
"I really didn't think [ 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ( DADT ) being repealed ] was happening," Darby told Windy City Times. "It's taken so long to get to this point, I thought that it's not going to happen, but it finally did. I was a little numb, because we started in 1992, fighting this policy."
While Darby represented one generation of veterans, panelist Marquell Smith talked about his more recent stint in the military. "The motto of the U.S. Marinesyou have to earn the titlemeant a lot to me," he said.
In 2006, after serving in the Marine Corps for six years, and without any formal investigation, Smith was discharged as sergeant under DADT. "I was unwilling to lie about who I was, I was going to live with a core of integrity," said Smith. "I turned down an honorable discharge to defend other people."
Smith's discharge was eventually upgraded to an honorable discharge, meaning that he was able to obtain benefits earned from his service.
After addressing the discrimination brought about by DADT, the panel discussed the topic of what's next, after its official repeal in September.
Smith explained that while now service members cannot be kicked out of the military for being gay, there is no codification on discrimination based on sexual orientation. "There's nothing that says they can't be discriminated against," said Smith. "The punishment isn't as severe, but they can still make your life difficulty."
Smith told the crowd he was also worried that many service members may be concerned that coming out may hinder opportunities for promotion to upper ranks. "More people need to come out," said Smith. "They need to be open and say, 'This is who I am.' It can be difficult, but it has to happen to change communities."
While the repeal of DADT has allowed members to openly serve, it does not mean that same-sex couples have the same legal rights as their heterosexual counterparts.
"One of the problems is that the Defense of Marriage Act exists," said panelist Susan Gluck, professor of Political Science at Loyola University. "Members of the service can be open about their sexual orientation, but they can't be married under federal lawthat's the next thing that needs to happen for equality."
Under DOMA, federal benefits are not extended to same-sex couples and partners are not allowed to stay on base or travel overseas with the service member, among other things. As it stands, if service members are stationed in a state where civil unions are legal, they have the ability to get married, but under federal law, this acknowledgement does not extend when service members are re-stationed to places where civil unions are not recognized.
The panel agreed that, along with marriage issues, there are other concernsspecifically benefit distributionthat need to be addressed in the overall conversation of discrimination based on sexual orientation for service members in the military.
"I think that as far as we are concerned the policy is gone and so we can serve openly. We are watchingwe are watchdogson the military … everything is not hunky-dory," Darby told Windy City Times. "People who are gay in the military, right now, if you're straight you get a separation pay of $30,000, and if you're gay you get $15,000. They are still discriminating against gay people at that level."
For more information on the Chicago chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights, visit www.AVERChicago.org .