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As war grinds on in Iraq, GLBT veterans gather this month

Photographs by Yvonne Feece

At press time, coalition forces rumbled toward Baghdad, and even the president finally began warning of a long engagement in Iraq.

At home, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender veterans converge in Texas for the April 2–5 convention of American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER). Operation: Lift the Ban II in San Antonio will include a panel discussion on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and a keynote address by Wally and Patricia Kutteles, the parents of Barry Winchell, murdered in 1999 by fellow soldiers because they believed he was gay.

The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities, a think tank that studies gay troops, estimates that at least 60,000 gay-and-lesbian soldiers serve in U.S. military. Without doubt, many of those are part of the current conflict. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a legal aid and advocacy group that supports gay soldiers, reports a dramatic increase in calls from concerned service members since mobilization began.

The 24-hour CNN/FOX/MSNBC news cycle ignores their concerns. So as war intensified and occupation looms, we checked in with two local veterans for perspective. —Tim Brookover

Mitchell Rainey Jr.

The president of the local AVER chapter, Mitch Rainey served from 1985 to 1989 as a specialist in the Army’s 82nd Airborne. “I was a mental-health counselor and field combat medic, and I jumped out of airplanes,” he said in a recent interview.

Rainey, who will attend the AVER convention with former local chapter president Philip Helfrich, said he was out of the closet before he joined up out of college. “The quote from the guy that enlisted me was, ‘Do you have any problem with homosexuality?’ And I told him I didn’t have a problem. That wasn’t a lie.”

Rainey comes from a military family. “My entire life was spent around the military. So I knew how to play it. I got married. I was married to a lesbian. But that’s what we did. At least half to three-fourths of the guys I knew who were gay were married.” Rainey and his wife divorced in 1990.

“I was openly gay in the military. Being in a medical unit, they knew. I was in a TMC [troop medical clinic]. There were four enlisted and three officers and they were very protective of me”

Rainey, who works in hospital management, counsels young people considering military jobs. “What I tell the kids now is keep your mouth shut and do your job.”

Jami Ward

Ward, a Vietnam-era veteran, now works in the software industry.

“I’m a 54-year-old MtF transperson who spent the years from 1967 to 1976 as an enlisted person in the U.S. Navy’s submarine service. I was in the military in the dark ages [before Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell] when conflict was about all there was. And while I wholeheartedly support the troops who are now going in harm’s way in Iraq, I am also of the opinion that what we are doing there may turn out to be one of the biggest blunders that our country has made.

“First, I think acceptance of LGBT folks in the military is very much a localized thing. During my time in the service, I knew several guys who were in the military who were gay. They weren’t very out about it, but they also didn’t deny it. Everyone who knew was OK with it, had no doubts about their competence, and had no problem being at sea with them. I think that for the most part, DADT is just official recognition of the prevailing attitude among the ranks.

“Second, being gay, lesbian, or bi works with the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy because a person’s sexual orientation isn’t one of the things that is readily apparent just by looking at them. Gender identity is another matter, however, because so much of it is tied to appearance, to gender presentation. It is almost impossible for transpersons to be themselves while in the military. While all LGBT people must officially remain in the closet while in the military, I truly believe that transgendered military personnel must remain in a much deeper and darker closet.”

Read more:

American Veterans for Equal Rights: www.glbva.org

Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military: www.gaymilitary.usb.edu

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: www.sldn.org

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