U.S. Military Men come out the closet!!!!

A group of U.S. Military Academy graduates came out of the closet Monday in a bid to overturn the ban on gays in the military and help West Point create an environment of tolerance and acceptance as they educate future officers, reports the Military Times. The 38-member "Knights Out" contacted the military academy's administration seeking to provide an "open forum" for gay troops and Army leaders, the paper reports. The Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was instituted after President Bill Clinton tried to lift the ban on gay service members in 1993. It refers to the military practice of not asking recruits their sexual orientation. In turn, service members are banned from saying they are gay or bisexual, engaging in homosexual activity or trying to marry a member of the same sex. Since it was implemented, 12,500 soldiers have been discharged, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which has actively lobbied for the law's repeal, reports the paper. 1st Lt. Dan Choi, a National Guardsman and Knights Out member knows the group's public announcement may result in disciplinary action. “If that’s the repercussion, I’m ready to take it,” he told the paper. “I think it’s more important that I let everybody know that … it is a wrong policy.” The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," according to Rep. Jim Moran. Moran, D-Va., said he has requested monthly updates from the Pentagon on the impact of the policy until it is repealed. In a statement released last week, Moran said the discharged soldiers included an intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist, a motor-transport operator and a water-treatment specialist. image source flickr

Anti-gay attacks spark emotions on Capitol Hill!!!!

A string of attacks against gay people in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood over the past two months has fueled a bubbling stew of emotions in the community.
Now residents are demonstrating their strong sense of concern at a Saturday night march and rally against the targeted violence.
The latest attack came a week ago near 13th Avenue and Columbia Street, about a block from the Seattle University campus.
Forty-one-year-old Jerry Knight was on his way home when two men confronted him. And now he says the horror of that weekend might always haunt him.
"I remember being hit hard, where I fell and my hands were bruised falling directly on the ground," he said Saturday in an interview.
He acknowledges it could have been worse.
"I am grateful," he says. "I am grateful I did not wake up in the hospital. I am grateful I am not in a coffin. I know that, and honor that."
He says he was attacked by two men as he walked home alone in the early morning hours. The assault was first reported online by The Stranger newspaper.
Knight says he had come from a party, and was wearing a sailor's outfit. That could have made him a target.
He says he doesn't specifically remember what happened leading up the assault - but he does remember the expletives and anti-gay slurs being yelled at him.
"As of now, there's feelings of shame, of guilt," he says. "What could I have done to not put myself in that position? Did I encourage this? And was I strong enough?"
After he stumbled back to his apartment that night, Knight did something to remind himself to be angry later on.
"I took a photo of myself before I washed myself up, because I knew that this will anger me," he says.
Even in a relatively gay-friendly city such as Seattle, Knight wonders if gay men and women should ever let their guard down.
"I live in a bubble. I forget that around the world ... this happens to people for a multitude of reasons. It was a surprise, absolutely."
So many emotions after one violent moment - that's why the Saturday rally is so important to him.
"Violence against anyone - gay, whatever it may be - we need to come together and stand up and say we're not going to tolerate this," Knight says.
Police don't have much to go on, since there's no description of the suspects.
But Knight, who tries to find strength in the wake of something so terrifying, says karma will eventually find his two attackers.
"I don't understand homophobia - I don't. I'm puzzled over what is their mindset, and hopefully they realize that this is not OK."
The rally starts at 8 p.m. at Pike Street and Boren Avenue. Image source flickr