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Gay Arabic Translators is Treason Militant Gay Activism's Father sees Aid & Comfort for Enemies Text of World War II Vet's Speech to SLDN 10th Annual Dinner
"Good evening. As a gay combat veteran of World War II, I am pleased, privileged, and honored to appear here, along with my fellow gay WWII veterans. In the very brief time that I have been allotted, I want to address the major problem facing us here this evening, and the last remaining un-won battle out of all those that I, personally, have fought over the past 40 years: The exclusion of gay people from our military services, masquerading as "Don't Ask; Don't Tell." "We gay WWII veterans have something special to offer to that battle. We are the irrebutable, irrefutable living proof of the invalidity of that gay-exclusionary policy. We were there, we were gay, and nothing adverse or detrimental at all happened either to our military or to our war effort because of our presence. We DID win the war! Further, I have learned, over the years, that one of the best ways to make an impact, and often to prevail, in political battles - and that is what this is - is to wrap oneself up in the flag. And we WWII veterans, by very definition, are flag-wrapped. We fought successfully for the protection and preservation of this country in an uncontroversial war, totally popularly supported. "On occasion, years ago, I have told Pentagon generals that anyone who dared to tell me to my face that my presence explicitly as a gay person, in our military in WWII was in any way detrimental to our war effort, or that my presence as a gay person was incompatible with military service, would get a punch in the nose. None ever dared to say so, and the punch was never delivered. "In more recent times, when debating the Radical Right, and the Religious Right, I have summarized the matter a little more broadly, by saying that: "As a homosexual, American, citizen with equal emphasis upon all three of those honorable terms (and all three are honorable whatever our opponents may think) as a homosexual American citizen I put my life into jeopardy, in front line combat, under enemy fire, in Europe, fighting a war for this country. "Therefore, as a Gay American (not merely as an American-American, but specifically as a Gay American) and for my fellow gays, these are OUR nation, OUR governments, OUR society and OUR culture, - and OUR military - fully as much as they are those of non-gays. Not more, but not one whit less. And we are entitled by right, to every right, privilege, prerogative, benefit, eligibility, qualification, and amenity, bar none, enjoyed by all other American citizens, and, of course, including service in OUR military. We gay WWII veterans have earned that for all gay Americans. "I note, finally, one additional aspect of the exclusion of gay people from our Armed Services. While, in peacetime, in the absence of the draft, our volunteer military has had sufficient personnel, the margin is narrow, and if any real military action commences, we may well be faced with severe understaffing. At least one nominal expert on military matters has recently termed the situation potentially dire. Additionally, volunteer or draft, our armed services should have the highest quality personnel available. That certainly includes countless gays with the highest qualifications, now excluded. "THEREFORE it is absolutely incontrovertible that excluding gays from our military lowers the quality of our armed services. Unquestionably, such lowering of quality can only give aid and comfort to the enemies of our country. But Section 3 of Article III of our very Constitution itself tells us that giving aid and comfort to the enemy is one of the definitions of Treason. Therefore, while some may consider this unduly harsh, speaking for myself alone, and in my own personal view, and certainly rhetorically, anyone at all, in any capacity or position, civilian or military, government official in any of the branches of government, or private citizen in or out of Congress - absolutely anyone at all who in any way whatever, by deed or by mere word, supports the exclusion of gay people from our military generally, and Don't Ask; Don't Tell in particular, is a traitor, and should be indicted, prosecuted, tried, convicted, and hanged for Treason. I will gladly provide the cost of the hangman's rope out of my own pocket. "With all due and full respect to the veterans of others of our wars, and with no derogatory comparisons intended, those are the kinds of things that we gay WWII veterans, wrapping ourselves in the flag which we have earned as few others have, can say better than almost anyone else. On these matters, we are simply uncontradictable. Let's get to work, in support of our marvelously effective SLDN, to remedy this intolerable situation for the unquestionable benefit of the country which we love and for the protection and perservation of which we fought almost sixty years ago, and for which we must all fight yet again in a different way. "Thank you." |
Dr. Franklin Kameny, pictured here in 1971, has consistently spoken out against homophobia in the U.S. military