On Thursday, September 21, 2006, in Greensboro, NC, the birth-place of the Civil Rights sit-in movement, four students attempted to enlist in the US Army as proud, patriotic, willing and able-bodied Americans. These four students are also openly gay and unwilling to lie about their lives as a condition of their service. After being rejected for enlistment the four students joined with supporters for a sit-in. Nine were arrested. This action was a part of the national 30-city Soulforce Right to Serve Campaign. Click here for a list of media articles and blog posts on the Greensboro Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell sit-ins.
I chat with Caron Myers of Fox 8 WGHP before our scheduled 10:30am press conference.
10:30am Press Conference begins
10:30am Press Conference
10:30am Press Conference
Sit-in supporter Alex Barbato (blue shirt to the right of the Army Recruiter, walks into the Recruitment office with media in foreground.
Media crowds the door, tries to force entry into Recruitment office while a recruiter tries desperately to shut the door after sit-in participants and openly gay and willing enlistees were able to get inside.
Television camera crews attempt to get a peak through the office’s windows.
Openly lesbian enlistee Stacey Booe (white shirt, between camera and Caron Myers, the reporter with microphone) walks out of the Recruitment Center to avoid arrest. Although Stacey genuinely wanted to serve her country today, she could not take the personal risk of getting arrested or charged with trespassing.
Greensboro police officer and Army recruiter inform the media that those sitting in will be arrested for trespassing.
Greensboro Organizer for the Right to Serve Campaign Matt Hill Comer (that’s me, btw) is led out of the Recruiting Center by the Greensboro Police Department. I was speaking in the photo, in response to Fox reporter Caron Myers’ question of “Is this fair?” I responded: “We live in a land of equality. Today that equality was tested.” (Photo credit: Greensboro News & Record).
Alex Nini, an open lesbian who wished to join the US Army, is led away by the Greensboro Police Department (Photo credit: Greensboro News & Record)
More pictures in the InterstateQ.com Gallery and more updates coming later.
Technorati Tags: Soulforce, Right to Serve Campaign, Army, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, sit-in, Greensboro, North Carolina, Matt Hill Comer, Jessica Arvidson, Stacey Booe, Alex Nini
September 22nd, 2006 at 4:31 pm
Happy Endings…
• Just in case you still haven’t gotten your fill of everyone’s favorite guerilla artist, Banksy. [The Observer] • Nine ‘Don’t Ask’ Protesters Arrested. Now they’ll never get to serve! [Greensboro Online] • In case you haven’t hea…
September 23rd, 2006 at 8:34 am
I wish the gay community could work on more important issues like getting simple hate crime Bills where it would do more help …whats more important someones phisical protection or your ability to join the service…..WHO MAKES THESE DECISIONS ANYWAY….HE OR SHE NEEDS TO SET PRIORITYS YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO WORK FOR ALL NOT A QUARTER OR A HALF ALL.I do not understand the thinking of the heads who are in charge here what exactly are you doing!!!!
September 24th, 2006 at 1:25 am
Thanks for your comment Lisa and I understand exactly how you feel. Here is the difference: In many areas of the country, hate crimes legislation is moving forward. Federally, hate crimes legislation has a chance of passing in the near future. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, however, is strictly a federal issue in which the LGBT community has been ignored and failed time and time again by Congress and the Courts. Also, the Right to Serve Campaign was an effort undertaken by Soulforce Youth. The largest “workforce” within the military are youth. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell disproportionately discriminates against the youth of America – through government-sanctioned discrimination. For this reason Soulforce Youth decided to stand up for our servicemembers – the majority of which our our own age, people just like us – and fight for the right to serve openly and honestly, and yes… safely within the Armed Forces.
September 25th, 2006 at 11:54 am
Lisa, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which discriminates against gays and lesbians in the military IS a hate crime. The policy relegates the 60,000 gays and lesbians already serving in the military to a second-class citizenship which lets homophobes feel justified in being violent and just plain mean to gays and lesbians. If we can repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and other discriminatory policies in the country, and welcome gays and lesbians as full and equal members of the American family, then the hateful attitudes by which we are treated as whipping boys and scapegoats will diminish. It’s like what came first: the chicken or the egg? My bet is that if we can get rid of policies like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” then we’ll see less examples in the country of people acting out on their hate. You make a good point, though: there is a lot of work to be done on many fronts but I do not think any of the issues are mutually exclusive of the other, and indeed, are very interconnected. One good way that the “Right to Serve” campaign is educating Americans is showing that the Soulforce activists in local communities across the country who want to enlist are just like you and me: ordinary Americans who want to live and play by the rules, and the only difference is sexual orientation.