Gays in the Military

Gay Criticism Of Chuck Hagel Keeps A-Coming

President Obama's nomination of former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense has been controversial, partly because of Hagel's icky gay-related remarks in 1998, not to mention his bad record on LGBT issues. Here are some statements that have come forth on the issue: Garden State Equal ... More >>

Selling a Newly Out Armed Forces

The Pentagon makes sure the public supports 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal

21 Voice Stories from 2011 That Melted Even This Grizzled Journalist's Heart to Report

James Worrell​Looking back, 2011 has been quite a year, especially on the gay rights front, one of our major beats. Like the cardiac organ caught in a bear trap accompanying Jen Doll's "Plight of the Single Lady," there were times when, objective reporter or not, the stories we were reporting ... More >>

Rick Perry and the Curious Case of Gay Griping

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the military's discriminatory ban barring homosexuals from serving openly, was signed out of law a year ago this month. After an exhaustive implementation review by the President, the Joint-Chiefs of Staff, and the Secretary of Defense, it officially ended almost three months ... More >>

Tea Party Audience Boos Gay Soldier at GOP Debate

Last night was the night of the Fox-Google GOP debate, notable for the just-like-getting-a-gchat beep that went off whenever anyone talked too long, as well as a moment in which Stephen Hill, a gay soldier serving in Iraq, asked Rick Santorum whether he'd circumvent the progress that's been made for ... More >>

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Bites the Dust Today (For Real This Time)

​It's had a long, zombie-like death, but Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the military's policy of barring homosexuals from serving openly, is finally over for real. If you're confused and thought that this happened already, you've got good reason to be. The judicial, legislative and executive branche ... More >>

Two Gobs And a Goy

Daniel Gettleman​No, I don't wear that red gingham shirt every night, in case you're wondering. I just happened to go to a lot of places the night I had it on. So after sweeping into that perfume launch where I had the red gingham gang bang, I dropped by the Museum of Sex's opening for their ... More >>

Barack Obama Ends Don't Ask, Don't Tell... Again

​President Barack Obama formally certified the end of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy today, the Human Rights Campaign is reporting. The repeal will take place on September 20th. The President signed legislation ending the policy in December of last year, but it had to occur aft ... More >>

Barack Obama Tries to Reinstate Don't Ask, Don't Tell Yet Again Before Ending It

​Although the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the United States government to immediately halt Don't Ask, Don't Tell, military recruiters across the nation seem to be dragging their feet, and Obama's Justice Department has asked the court for a stay on their order "by the close of busin ... More >>

Court Orders Immediate Halt to Don't Ask, Don't Tell

​ The military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy barring gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly seems to have been dealt a mortal blow yet again. Legally, it was substantially wounded last year when U.S. Judge Virginia Philips issued an injunction and refused to grant a stay during its ap ... More >>

Military Men Are Popping Up At Gay Bashes!

​I've noticed them all over the place, casually hanging out at various gay club events without the usual horror of getting caught. Some of them even pose for photos with amazed onlookers.

Dan Savage and Dan Choi Hunt for Gay Men at CPAC Using Grindr

​Lt. Dan Choi created a stir when he announced on Twitter that he was going to attend CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. Turns out he wasn't the only gay activist named Dan at the annual conservapalooza. Here's great video of Choi meeting up with Dan Savage. The two take to C ... More >>

Lt. Dan Choi: Government Billed Me After Kicking Me Out Under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

​Do tell, do pay? Lt. Dan Choi, the feature of our October cover story, released an open letter to President Obama this morning. In it, he's rather upset about being charged money for being kicked out of the military under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." "Today I received a $2,500 bill from your De ... More >>

Don't Ask Don't Tell's Cost: $53,000 Per Dismissal

​Stars and Stripes is reporting that the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy cost $53,000 per dismissal. According to the Government Accounting Office, the military newspaper reports, the Department of Defense spent "$200 million in administrative, recruiting and retraining costs over six ... More >>

Sarah Palin Supports "Homos" in the Military, Or Accidentally Retweeted Tammy Bruce

​Sarah Palin's largely indecipherable Twitter account was again shrouded in mystery last night when a cryptic RT of a message from conservative gay comedienne Tammy Bruce showed up in the former governor's feed. "But this hypocrisy is just truly too much. Enuf already--the more someone complai ... More >>

The 10 Gayest Political Stories of 2010

Ring ceremony: Reid and Choi2010 was one of the gayest political years ever. Here's our take on the 10 gayest stories we reported on — throughout the five boroughs, the nation, and the world.

Barack Obama Kicks Don't Ask, Don't Tell to the Curb

​We've been following Don't Ask, Don't Tell since Senator Barack Obama was campaigning on its repeal. After all these years, watching the ceremony in which he kicked it to the curb, in person, was a special kind of early Christmas gift. The event was not held at the White House, but in an aud ... More >>

Rightbloggers on DADT: A Slow March Toward Tolerance, With Side Trips to Insanity

This weekend the Senate repealed Don't Ask Don't Tell -- the 17-year-old policy that allowed gays to serve in the U.S. military only if they could conceal their sexual orientation. The bill awaits Obama's signature. You might expect rightbloggers to be angry about it, and some of them are -- hila ... More >>

Daniel Choi, Driven Crazy By "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Hopes to Rejoin the Military

​Lt. Daniel Choi, who became the face of the movement to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on gays on the military, says he plans to rejoin the Army now that he can serve openly. Choi was discharged after two tours of duty in Iraq because he outed himself on national television. (You can ... More >>

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal Moves Through Senate With 63-33 Vote

​A 63-33 bipartisan vote early on Saturday afternoon allows the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which would allow openly gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the United States military, to advance to a final vote. The vote comes after a Pentagon report ruled that the military faces littl ... More >>

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is Dead After 65-31 Vote to Repeal Policy

via​As expected, the repeal of the Clinton-era "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy banning gays in the military has passed the Senate by a vote of 65-31. President Obama must now sign the bill into law, which he is expected to do. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to overturn the ban ... More >>

Don't Ask Don't Tell Repealed by House, Again

​The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 250 to 175 (almost straight down party lines) to repeal the ban on openly gay and lesbian soldiers in the U.S. military. This is the second time a repeal has been approved by the House. Previously it was repealed in connection with a defense spend ... More >>

Dan Choi Taking Time Off for Exhaustion

​Anyone who has followed the effort to repeal Don't Ask, Don't tell will have noticed someone prominent missing from the debate over the past couple weeks: Lt. Dan Choi. As the attempt to end the law before the Republicans take over congress has sputtered along, Choi has been missing in action ... More >>

Don't Ask Don't Tell Opponents Pick Up Some Unlikely Support

While John McCain gets crankier and crankier about repealing Don't Ask, Don't tell, opponents of the policy have picked up a couple of unlikely allies on the right. After much lobbying, Sen. Scott Brown has finally come around and said he will consider voting to end Don't Ask (along with the usua ... More >>

Justin Crockett Elzie, Fresh Off Being Arrested at the White House

​New Yorker Justin Crockett Elzie was a U.S. Marine who served around the globe. In 1993, he came out on the ABC Evening News shortly before "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was enacted. He'd eventually become the first Marine discharged under that law. Runnin' Scared spoke to him a week after he lock ... More >>

Dan Choi Off To The White House at 2PM: Handcuffs Needed? [UPDATED]

​Judging by a recent tweet, it would appear that Dan Choi is speaking to Harry Reid's office again, despite the fallout they may have had over certain comments he made about the Majority Leader in certain publications. As the 111th Congress convenes today for possibly the last time, Choi twee ... More >>

Cindy McCain Flip-Flops on Gay Rights

​Cindy McCain, the wife of Senator John McCain, is a little less outspoken right now than a couple of days ago. Just the other day, she was part of an all-star anti-bullying video in which she criticized the government's failure to let gays be open in the military.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates Probing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Leaks to the Washington Post

​This week's Friday evening news dump included the announcement that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is investigating who in the Defense Department leaked the results of a forthcoming "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" report to the Washington Post. Based on two anonymous sources, one of which has "read t ... More >>

DO ASK

Cianni did, and they told

Bad Lieutenant, Dan Choi

What the networks don't ask the poster boy of the movement against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," he's happy to tell.

Barack Obama: Twisting Words in the Wind on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

President Obama covered a lot of ground on gay and lesbian rights in the middle of the four o'clock hour on Thursday. In the end, he wound up saying one thing and doing another. In a cleverly worded statement, he vowed that "don't ask, don't tell" will end on his watch. He did not mean that he wil ... More >>

'Don't Ask Don't Tell, DREAM Act in the Senate

It's a big day in the U.S. Senate for two issues we watch, but it's kind of a win-win for conservatives on both of them, regardless of how the pending votes on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and the 'Dream Act' go down. The bigger of the day is a cloture vote on the military spending bill, which has a kin ... More >>

'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Ruled Unconstitutional -- the Takeaway

It's been quite a summer for the Federal Courts as they've stepped in yet again on behalf of equal rights for gay Americans. After a Federal District Court in San Francisco ruled Proposition 8 was unconstitutional last month, a Federal District Court in Riverside, CA ruled last night that the U.S. m ... More >>

Nathaniel Frank

To Gays: Don't Mourn, Organize!

8 to 0 Supreme Court decision doesn't end the fight against 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

The Soldier's Music

Out of the White House Closet

Gay Rights Steps Out As Presidential Politics Comes to New York

The Enemy Within

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell?'— Or Seek And Destroy? The Military's New Gay Purge