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After 18 years and countless efforts by organizations across the country, the United States military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy officially ended Sept. 20.
The policy, which began in 1993 under the Clinton administration, prevented homosexuals from serving in the military. They were prohibited from being open about their sexuality, and no one would ask them about it. One slip up, and a military career could end.
Now, all of that has changed, and with change came celebration at the University of Maine sponsored by the Wilde Stein Alliance for Sexual Diversity and UMaine’s GLBT services.
The celebration, which took place in the Multipurpose Room in the Memorial Union on Tuesday evening, was a chance for everyone in the community to say how they felt about the repeal after years of the policy.
The festivities were part of a nationwide celebration of the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Parties took place in all 50 states at the same time.
“This is literally the first time since the founding of our country that gays and lesbians can be open about it in the military,” said Rebecca Holmes, an employee at the Rainbow Resource Center in the Memorial Union. “Today, people will start to see that their gay brothers and sisters are the same as any other soldier — fighting for our lives, our liberty and our happiness. Today, those essential aspects of the American dream start to apply to the gay Americans fighting for them.”
The threat of discharge was very real, as over 13,000 men and women have been discharged from the military under “don’t ask, don’t tell” since 2003, according to Holmes.
Evan McDuff, president of Wilde Stein, felt the change was a step in the right direction.
“It doesn’t make sense to me that they would oppose the repeal,” he said. “It creates a tension that doesn’t need to be there.”
“It’s monumental,” said Danielle Chrissman, UMaine chapter president of the Maine College Democrats. “For the first time, the military and the federal government recognize homosexuality. It’s a huge step.”
For many in the GLBT community, the repeal was a sign of hope for the future.
For others, it was more personal.
Beth Pepper, a retired captain of the Coast Guard, served the country for 27 years, including in Norfolk, Va. The repeal has special significance for her, as she had to keep her orientation a secret for the entirety of her service.
“I’m 52 years old, and I just came out of the closet,” Pepper said. “It meant I sort of had this split personality, the me outside and inside of work.”
For the entirety of her military career, Pepper only came out to three people, saying she “didn’t want to burden them with the truth.”
If other people knew the truth, they also had to keep it a secret. If they told the wrong people about it, Pepper could have lost her job.
She was investigated for two years under the suspicion that she was gay.
“For two years, every time the phone rang, it was like, ‘This could be it,’” she said.
Keeping her secret wasn’t the hardest part of “don’t ask, don’t tell” for Pepper; it was keeping her partner, Lisa Williams, a secret from everyone. The person she shared her life with was unable to be shared with others, something that hurt Pepper more than the secrets or suspicion.
“I was so sorry that they didn’t get a chance to meet Lisa,” Pepper said.
For Williams, this repeal is a step in the right direction. A former teacher, she feels this will be a great help for young Americans struggling with their sexuality.
“It opens a door to struggling teenagers,” she said. Both she and Pepper felt it would be “a big step in crumbling this pillar of prejudice.”
For some members of the military, the repeal date was the right moment to come out or get married. Navy Lt. Gary Ross married his longtime partner Dan Swezy at midnight on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
A U.S. service member using the YouTube moniker “areyousurprised” took the moment to make a live video showing himself coming out as gay to his father after years of hiding in the closet.
Even with this step in the right direction, the path to equal rights is still a long one.
“While we have gained one right for the GLBT community there are still many others we don’t have,” Chrissman said.
