Gay Today: World

Anti-Gay Graffiti on
U.S. Bomb Dropped on Afghanistan

Compiled By GayToday

Washington, D.C.--Navy leaders were called upon Friday by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) to condemn and hold accountable military personnel aboard the USS 'Enterprise' for anti-gay graffiti scrawled on a United States bomb used in Afghanistan.

The British newspaper Metro released a photo of the bomb, which clearly has the message 'Highjack This Fags' written across the side. The photo was taken by the Associated Press.

"The message is insulting and inappropriate," said SLDN Legal Director Sharra E. Greer. "It is also in clear violation of the United States military's stated policies on harassment and morale."

Historically, American service members often write messages on bombs before they are used. For example, some of the first bombs dropped in the offensive against terrorism carried messages of remembrance for the victims of the September 11th attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Centers.

"The United States Navy would never allow racial epithets or derogatory graffiti based on gender or religion to be scrawled on American property," Greer said.

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"Messages like the one presented in this photograph only reinforce the ideas of hatred and division that our nation seeks to defend against. We must not emulate the intolerance of our enemies."

Copies of the photo are available by contacting SLDN.