Takia Mitchell, a soldier who was forced out of the Army under the don’t ask, don’t tell policy, speaks at a rally outside the Capitol in Washington on Friday about the need to overturn the law banning homosexuals from serving openly in the ranks. (Leo Shane III / S&S)
WASHINGTON — Takia Mitchell said she served openly as a lesbian for two years in South Korea without ever hearing a complaint from her commanders.
After less than a year of serving secretly in New York, her new commanders forced her out of the Army under the don’t ask, don’t tell rules.
"The Army was my life," she said. "It gave me purpose. And at first it gave me a place to thrive. But by the end I was truly an Army of one, singled out because I was gay."
Mitchell was one of a dozen speakers at Friday’s rally in support of legislation which would drop regulations barring homosexuals from openly serving in the military.
About 200 supporters attended the event, chanting "Freedom to Serve" at the speakers’ prompting.
Organizers from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network hope this year, with a Congress controlled by Democrats and a president who has publicly stated his opposition to the policy, they can muster enough votes do away with the limits on homosexual servicemembers.
Grethe Cammermeyer, a lesbian forced out of the National Guard in 1989 even before Congress approved the don’t ask policy, said she hopes the effort can succeed soon.
"For the past 16 years we’ve been hearing that gays and lesbians would undermine military morale and discipline," the former colonel said.
"How is that possible? There are thousands already serving today and we’re not undermining that."
Still, a number of lawmakers and veterans groups oppose any change.
During his presidential campaign Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., vowed to uphold the ban. The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. has opposed any changes since the law passed in 1993 and recently reiterated its support for "don’t ask."
Congress has announced hearings on the measure, but the White House has not set a timetable for making a change.
Neal Riley, a state organizer for VoteVets.org who served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, said even though as a straight man he was allowed to serve, the ban still affected him.
He urged everyone, gay or straight, to work to overturn it.
"For every person we turn away or discharge under this policy, that’s one less Arabic translator in Iraq," he said. "It’s one less special operations soldier looking for Osama bin Laden. It’s one less medic who can save lives on the battlefield."
