Leading West Point Cadet Resigns Over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Katherine Miller deserves to be honored for her integrity. The only problem is that Miller, a top-ten cadet at West Point, won't ever be getting such an honor from the U.S. military. Why is that?Because Miller resigned today over the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which while slowly rolling toward the graveyard, is still in effect, and still making sure that honorable gay, bisexual and lesbian Americans get booted out of the U.S. military.
Miller was exactly the type of soldier that the U.S. military would covet. She's ranked #9 in her entire West Point class, she was routinely given "super-maxes" on all of her physical fitness tests, and this past Sunday was even featured in a Washington Post expose about leadership at West Point. In short, this was a quality candidate for the military, and someone who would have served her country with honor and pride.
The only problem is that the military required Miller to be someone she's not. Straight.
"I have created a heterosexual dating history to recite to fellow cadets when they inquire. I have endured unwanted approaches by male cadets for fear of being accused as a lesbian by rejecting or reporting these events. I have been coerced into ignoring derogatory comments towards homosexuals for fear of being alienated for my viewpoint," Miller wrote in her resignation letter this morning. "In short, I have lied to my classmates and compromised my integrity and my identity by adhering to existing military policy."
And therein lies the true tragedy of a policy like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It doesn't foster a culture of truthfulness and integrity. Instead, it forces top-ranked cadets to bash gay people, and lie about their personal lives in order to "fit in."
Miller is part of an organization now called Knights Out, an effort started by the recently discharged Lt. Dan Choi, who for the past year has become one of the most vocal servicemembers speaking out against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and on a host of other gay rights issues. Miller, for her part, will be transitioning out of West Point, and instead will be heading to Yale University on a scholarship from The Point Foundation.
Yale's gain is definitely West Point's -- not to mention our entire country's -- loss.
In other "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" news, Servicemembers United has launched a pretty nifty video project, through its lobbying project, to push for a final repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which the U.S. Senate will be taking up in August or (more likely) September as part of the annual defense budget authorization bill. Their first video? It's below. And it features a servicemember who was part of the military's bomb tech, dismantling IEDs. He served in the military for eight years, in both Bosnia and Afghanistan.
Discharging him means that there's one less soldier to help get rid of things like IEDs, which continue to claim the lives of American troops and civilian casualties. Sad. Check out the video below
August 10, 2010 http://gayrights.change.org
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