Originally published on Youthradio.org, the premier source for youth generated news throughout the globe.
By: Joseph Christopher Rocha
This week I joined hundreds of gay and lesbians veterans (even one active duty gay vet currently stationed in Iraq), flooded the halls of U.S. Capitol as part of Veterans Lobby Day on Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT). But our stories of valor and patriotism were not all received by willing and interested ears.
Three years ago Don't Ask Don't Tell silenced me from reporting repeated abuse by fellow soldiers and my unit chief, all because they suspected I was gay. But when I told my story to Congressman Dan Lungren's (R-CA) Legislative Director Kevin Holsclaw, he dismissively replied, "The Representative does not support social experiments in our armed services." One floored comrade recounted how the most pressing inquiry on Representative Dana Rohrabacher's (R-CA) mind regarding DADT was whether or not she had ever "engaged in homosexual acts" during her career.
Dumbfounded by the audacity of representatives and their staffers to look veterans in our eyes and tell us they couldn't care less about our mental health, job security and human dignity, I hurried off Capitol Hill, hoping my one o'clock might be more fruitful.
I dialed the 202 number as I exited the cab and hurried into a coffee shop across from the White House. Inside I scanned the crowd. What does a Deputy Director to the President even look like?
"Hi, this is Brian," I heard the gentleman say both through my receiver and about a foot in front of me.
Brian Bond is the White House Deputy Director of Public Engagement. He has become the de facto target for criticism from the LGBT community over the administration's perceived inaction on Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT).
As I sat down, I couldn't help noticing that every other customer in the café was dressed in military uniform. It seemed like a cruel joke as I prepared to argue for the repeal of DADT, a law that was ultimately used to end my military career.
"Before we get started", he said, "I wanted to see if you wouldn't mind signing your letter so I can try my best to get this to the actual President." The initiative and care, from an administration accused of not taking Don't Ask Don't Tell seriously enough, took me by surprise.
Since Bond already knew my story, I explained why it's imperative that a repeal bill passes Congress before the August recess, well ahead of midterm elections when we have no sure way of knowing who will remain in Congress.
I shared with him how, just days earlier, I had built up the courage to finally visit my former peers at the U.S. Naval Academy, an institution I dreamed of graduation from, but because of DADT, now never will.
In Annapolis, gay and straight midshipmen told me how the culture of lies and deceit, forced on our military by DADT, was straining them and their buddies overseas. I told Bond that further delay in repeal efforts will sadly result in continued abuse, suicides, and discharges.
I caught the posture of Deputy Director Bond relax at this point. "I was sort of expecting you to just want to yell at me," he said.
Instead I explained that I understood that without President Obama, Secretary Gates would not have insisted that the Pentagon working group on DADT take a "how, not if" approach. And without White House leadership, it's equally unlikely that Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would have come out so emphatically against DADT.
During a February 2nd hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mullen said "No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."
But I was also sure to tell Deputy Director Bond that recent mixed signals have undermined support for the president. He knew exactly what I was getting at.
"Secretary Gate's letter to Chairman Skelton caught us entirely by surprise. I still don't really know what to make of it," he said.
He explained how careful analysis of the text convinces him it was drafted "rather hastily." As the White House's point man on DADT, Bond assured me the president is working aggressively to achieve the most cohesive congressional, executive, and DOD solution to permanent repeal.
"The President is committed to getting this done," he said, "and done right."
"Please do not interpret silence from the White House as inaction on repeal or a reflection of its commitment." According to Bond, any perceived lack of transparency is due to sensitive collaborations between the different bodies of government that have been ongoing from day one, and will result in repeal "this year."
Members of the LGBT community find ourselves wrestling with our hearts, which want repeal yesterday, and our minds, which understand the complexities of passing a bill through Congress - the only permanent solution to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.
The meeting left me feeling relieved. For the first time I am entirely convinced that this administration is behind us. What is left is for us, together, to take this fight, in earnest, to both houses of Congress.
Over the course of Veterans Lobby Day, it became clear to me that legislators opposed to the repeal of DADT will not be swayed by the mountain of statistics and legal arguments stacked against DADT. At this point they can only truly be influenced by the men and women who have served under this deeply flawed policy.
As the fight to repeal DADT advances towards the House and Senate floors in the coming weeks, there's only one convincing argument left that holds any power to change our legislators' minds. They need to hear brave testimonies from the over a million living gay and lesbian veterans stretching all the way back to WWII.
The time is now, for legislators to choose what side of history they wish to be written into. Undoubtedly some members of Congress will remain in opposition to repeal, but in a country that relentlessly supports its troops, they should expect electoral retribution for anything short of full support of the dignified treatment of each and every service member.
Together with our allies in Congress and the White House, this summer we face the decisive battle that will determine the fate of repeal. I, like many vets at Veterans Lobby Day, hope that by this time next year, I am back in uniform serving my country.
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