Why You Should Give A Damn!

Newsletter Archive

Newsletter #5, December, 2005

Bring our troops and equality home for the holidays!

by Davina Kotulski, Ph.D.

Newsletter #5 December 2005

As the days darken and the holidays approach we find ourselves more focused on our loved ones. Being with family is especially important at this time of year which is why my thoughts go out to the LGBT servicemembers who are serving in silence because of the injustice of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy.

I can only imagine how painful serving in silence is during the holiday season. While the other service members send and receive packages and letters and are able to call home and connect with spouses in a meaningful way and speak with their children, LGBT servicemembers continue to be isolated. They can not discuss their experience of being separated from family with their fellow servicemembers and they are even more emotionally distant from families whom they must pretend do not exist.

How painful it must be for those unrecognized spouses and children who will pass the holidays without them. How painful for the children wondering why they haven’t heard from their other mommy or daddy and trying to make sense of their absence, the lies, and the hiding. Silence means no ìI love yousî on the phone.

These men and women give their lives to fight for ìfreedomî abroad when they don’t even have the freedom in their own country to claim their loves ones, their family, without being dishonorably discharged?

Under DADT servicemembers cannot marry or register as domestic partners. Adopting or allowing their partner to adopt a non-biological child would violate DADT. LGBT Veterans who have served their country cannot access the 93 spousal provisions that straight Vets can. It is wrong to treat LGBT Vets as second-class citizens. We must work to end this discrimination. We must speak out against this injustice. We can use our own time with our families to raise awareness and work to end the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) Policy.

Please, speak out against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Let’s bring our troops and equality home.

May your holiday season be filled with love and happiness. Cheers!! Davina