Koppitegrrrl

Tomorrow is Veterans Day and I am reflecting on my 3 years in the Air Force. I am thinking about all of the gay members of the military that are forced into the closet, forced to hide who they are. The Core Values of The United States Air Force are, “Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all I do.” They ask all gay service members to ignore the first core value. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is flat out discrimination. Same sex couples do not get the same privildges and benifits as heterosexual couples because of this forced closeting. While on deployment my partner would not have access to the support networks provided for partners of heterosexual couples. She would not have access to the base and its numerous resources without my presence. The benefits such as health care, housing, and extra pay to provide for dependents do not extend to homosexual couples. It is not an easy experience to be with someone in the military and even harder when the support is not there for you. This Veterans Day we should honor those men and women who serve a country that considers them second class citizens. Those gay soldiers, sailors, and airmen who are willing to die for a nation not willing to accept them for who they are,