Ban Don't Ask, Don't Tell

(This is the final award I received while in the Air National Guard. I served 8 years active Army, 10 years  Army National Guard, and 3 years Air National Guard. I retired in July 2000.)

I am a survivor. 

         Not from breast cancer. That would be more respected, even heroic.

No, I survived the ban.

 I debated about even admitting this for fear of some kind of negative repercussion. After so many decades of living in paranoia, you get used to secrecy and lying.

I have to admit that the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ban never really kept me in the closet, though. I’ve always been out - just lucky enough to not get caught.

I retired from the military 10 years ago, so I don’t have to worry anymore. But those still serving and sacrificing their lives for our freedom do.

I’m posting this blog for them.

The ban made headline news again last month when chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen proclaimed that service members should not be forced to "lie about who they are." (ban)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and President Barack Obama agree. After all, maybe they have finally realized it’s absurd that gays living in Massachusetts can legally marry but can’t serve openly in the military. How schizophrenic is that?

Speaking of schizo behavior: 

• I have co-custody of my two young daughters through the Toledo family court system, but I can't legally adopt them in Ohio. 
• I just switched from Nationwide to USAA auto insurance because USAA includes my partner in my plan. Nationwide doesn't. The ironic thing: USAA is an insurance company that covers military service members and veterans. I've been with Nationwide since I  was 18. I informed Nationwide why I switched.
• Dana, my partner of 20 years, and I can register our relationship with the City of Toledo, but there's probably no hope of celebrating our commitment via marriage in our lifetime, unless we move to the East or West Coast. Our anniversary is Feb. 17.
  

Yes, things are slowly improving. The bending-over-in-the-showers fear and the blackmail argument don’t cut it anymore. And don't get me started on the Karl Roves of the world.

The bottom line is this: the military ban will never prevent gays and lesbians from joining. It will never weed them out or get them to change their sexual preferences. Never have and never will.

Unfortunately, the ban will continue to destroy the futures of those unlucky enough to get caught simply being themselves. 

I’m not a gay rights activist anymore. I’ve been too busy building a journalism career and raising a family. But sometimes, well, you just have to take a stand.

I have many lesbian friends courageously serving in the Army right now, and I worry about them in more ways than one. I hope they survive the war, and I hope they survive the ban.

It’s time to end the ban on gays in the military. In fact, it’s way overdue.

 

 

 

 

 

Do photojournalists write?

Imagine this photo of Toledo Mayor Mike Bell without a caption. You wouldn't know what it's about; just a bald head against a white backboard.  He's actually pondering dozens of suggestions by local citizens to trim down the city's $43.8m deficit. (Blade Photo by Lori King)

During a recent Owens Photo Club meeting, a question was asked whether students have to write as part of the Intro to Photojournalism course curriculum.

Here’s my response: photo = photography & journalism = writing. Put the two together and you have a photographer who should at least write down the names of the people they photograph.

Writing is absolutely a part of a photojournalist’s career. After all, a photo never runs in the paper without a cutline or caption explaining what it’s about. The caption can be as long as an extended cut, like a mini-story, or as short as a name and title to label a head shot.

Either way, photojournalists must keep a pad and pen in their camera bags to document the 5Ws and the H for every photo we take, especially if subjects in the photos are easily identifiable.

It’s true that copy editors end up rewriting our captions much of the time. After all, they are the true word doctors in the newsroom. They’re armed with the AP style guide, dictionaries, spell checks, and experience. But we provide the basic facts; proper spelling of names and hometowns, and a short version of what’s happening in the photo.

It’s also true photographers at the Blade and at most other medium to large news organizations do not write stories. But photographers at smaller papers and the military do.

In fact, that’s how I started out. I was an award-winning Army journalist (journalist of the year 3 times) who took photos for my own stories. So I’m one of the few who can do both. I couldn’t image my life without writing, which is why I created this blog!

Anyway, Owens students taking the Intro to Photojournalism Course should have no fear: it’s not a course that involves a lot of writing, just getting their facts right.