San Diego's Channel 6 has reported that a unnamed suspect is being held in connection with the death of a young sailor August Provost of Houston, Texas stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA. Homocide is suspected, although a final determination will not be made until an autopsy is concluded.
Citing unnamed sources with access to a report on the seaman's death, Gomez said Provost was killed during an argument with another sailor over the victim's sexual orientation.
They must stop making excuses and make new policy. Lives are being lost.
I'm so furious and frustrated at this point.
Obama, Congress & the Pentagon must be called upon to support troops, all our troops. They must stop making excuses and make new policy.
Gay people have served in the military since its inception and will continue to do so. But now, they must live in fear, as other troops harass, bully and, perhaps in this case, murder them. "Don't ask, don't tell" only serves to affirm homophobes position that gay people don't belong in the military and gives them carte blanche to "discipline" them as they see fit with no fear of reprisal. Gay troops seeking recourse from this harassment, will torpedo their own careers.
The situation is untenable. It is time for Obama, Congress & the Pentagon to stand behind men like August Provost, Dan Choi, Victor Fehrenbach and thousands of others and say,
"You have a right to serve with pride, and with the full support of Congress, the White House, the Pentagon and the American People. You are an equally valued member of our national security apparatus and no more expendable than any other soldier."
They must stop making excuses and start making policy. Lives are being lost.
There is a tendency in our society to blame the victim. Rather than blame the bullies, public opinion may swing to blame Provost. After all, "he was gay in a gay-hostile environment, what did he expect?" "These incident are why gays don't belong," apologist for bigotry will say.
Our job
--our call to action--is to not let that talking point be made or repeated. There can be no argument, DADT condones and reinforces an environment of hostility. There are unconfirmed reports Provost had been harassed before. Of course, reporting such harassment all but guaranteed a DADT investigation and ultimately discharge. Gay men and women in the military have no recourse from harassment so long as DADT stands.
We need to stay on our leaders to stand with LT Dan Choi, LT CL Victor Fehrenbach, and Provost, not the side of condoning bigotry, hatred and murder.
Update: LA Times blog is reporting:
Rep. Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista) said today he had asked the U.S. Department of Defense and the Marine Corps to investigate whether the killing of a sailor, who was gay, at Camp Pendleton was a hate crime...Gay leaders in San Diego had asked Filner to intervene. Nicole Murray-Ramirez, chairman of the San Diego Human Relations Commission, said Provost's family said the sailor had been harassed by other personnel on the base.
From the Navy Times website:
Denny Meyer, a spokesman for the American Veterans for Equal Rights, a gay veterans’ group, said he understood many of Provost’s shipmates in Assault Craft Unit 5 knew he was gay, but his serving with them caused no problems. Navy Times was not able to immediately reach other members of ACU 5.
Provost reportedly complained to his family that he was being harassed for being open, but he couldn’t tell his command without violating the prohibition against gays. If he could have served openly, he could have told commanders about the harassment, and that might have prevented his attack, Meyer said.
Filner also faulted the policy because it meant that the Navy never notified [Provost's partner, Kaether] Cordero about Provost’s death — he learned about it from a reporter who was calling to ask him questions about it.