A Marine faces bigotry and abuse

April 5, 2011

A former service member, who requested that his account be published anonymously, describes the bigoted harassment that led to his ousting from the Marine Corps.

IN OCTOBER of 2009, I was a corporal in the United States Marine Corps. I had 10 junior Marines working under me, and five fellow corporals whom I supervised.

I was the Supply and Fiscal Administration chief for a Marine division unit that was preparing to embark on a six-month deployment to Afghanistan, and had recently completed a deployment to Iraq. I was also a Marine Corps marksmanship coach, and I was qualified to translate Arabic, Hebrew, German and Portuguese by the Department of Defense.

During this month of 2009, I was preparing my section for an inspection from my unit's higher command, as the general had changed. I was making my Marines stay late so that we could double check the fiscal and property accounting records.

One of my junior Marines did not like this, and had been asking me for several months whether or not I was homosexual. Each time, I told him the question was inappropriate for a subordinate to ask his superior, and had reported him to my unit's Equal Opportunity Officer. The Marine was only ever mildly reprimanded.

I had to maintain being his supervisor, and be unbiased when the time for promotion recommendations came. When I decided to recommend him to not be promoted, my command publicly humiliated me, and said, "The reason we don't let fags in the Marines is because all the dick up the ass makes their balls stop producing testosterone and makes them sensitive bitches, like you."

The following weekend, the junior Marine who I did not recommend for promotion followed me to my current partner's apartment, and took pictures of us holding hands and kissing at several establishments. He then threatened that, if I did not tell my supervisor myself that I am homosexual, he would make copies of the photographs and post them around the barracks and work sections. Before I was able to speak to anyone myself though, the rumors had started.

My supervisor asked me whether or not the rumors were true, and I told him that he could not legally ask me that question. Then, when my supervisor heard that there were photographs involved, he read me my legal rights under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and my investigation commenced. I chose to seek counsel through the Service Members Legal Defense Network, because none of the military lawyers were able to help me, as the actual details of the "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy were not readily available.

One night, when I was speaking with my lawyer (who was in Washington, D.C., while I was stationed in California), a fellow corporal kicked in the door to my barracks room, and attempted to stab me with a screwdriver screaming about how gays don't deserve to live.

The barracks was full, as it was "field day" (the one day a week that Marines are required to clean their barracks rooms). No one tried to pull him off me, or remove him from my room. In fact, there were several fellow non-commissioned officers, corporals and sergeants who stood outside my room and laughed at how my face was showing fear and at how pathetic it was that a gay man was successfully defending himself against a straight, ignorant excuse of a human being.

I had to grab a baseball bat and swing it at one of the individuals that was jeering when he tried to enter my room and attack me with the other guy before I was left alone. I then called my unit's duty officer, and he told me to barricade myself in my room. When I went to inform him of the names of the individuals involved in my attack, he told me that it was not his concern who was involved, that I should try telling either the chaplain, the military police, or the Equal Opportunity Officer.


I CALLED the MPs to tell them of what happened, and they laughed in my face and told me to "toughen up" and to make sure I didn't leave blood for the field day inspectors to see. When I told the chaplain about it the next day, he said "Unfortunate things happen to unrepentant sinners," and "Should you change, then perhaps God will bring justice to those who wronged you, or might help you see how this attack really was a blessing in disguise, but you will only see God's wrath if you choose to remain an active participant in that unholy lifestyle."

When I then told the Equal Opportunity Officer, he reported not only my attack, but what that night's duty officer said, what the MPs said, and what the chaplain said to my unit's commander. Only the Chaplain was reprimanded because he tried to force Christian theology as advice to a Marine registered as "Reform Jewish" in the Marine Corps Administrative System.

On October 30, 2009, right after I submitted my written homosexual admission statement to my unit's commander, my cell phone was "confiscated" for evidence by my supervisor, who then read explicit text messages between my partner and I to my coworkers and subordinates.

The ordeal was humiliating, and as a result, I was denied leave on multiple occasions because my chain of command could not allow me more than the standard liberty, knowing that I had the propensity and intention of breaking the official policies of DADT.

I had many other experiences similar to this one, each one more humiliating and degrading than the one previous throughout the course of my six-month investigation. Yes, the investigation still happened, despite my admission, because the Marine Corps had to ensure that my admission statement was in fact truth.

Anyway, on March 22, 2010, I was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps for homosexual admission only because I followed the policy and only admitted through writing. Had I made a verbal admission, I could have been processed out with a "Bad Conduct" or a "General Under Other Than Honorable Conditions" discharge (which are equivalent to entering the civilian world with federal crimes on your record).

I volunteered to serve my country during a time of war, I offered my skills in language, administration, and marksmanship to help aid the United States in its time of need. I love this country, and I would still die to protect it, and although I do still get to receive my veterans benefits, I am disallowed from ever re-enlisting (even after the DADT is repealed) unless I petition Congress to let me back into the military.

It is a sad thing: Homosexuals are the definition of second-class citizens in this country: we cannot marry except in a few states (and even then, no other state has to recognize our unions should they choose not to). We don't even have the right to serve our own country or have the freedom to be who we are.

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