Coming Out Is the Best Decision I Made, Says Soldier
Trooper Ben Rakestrow, right, said that colleagues had been supportive. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: A soldier leaves Afghanistan today after a life-changing six-month tour, having fought the Taleban and told his comrades that he is gay.

Trooper Ben Rakestrow, 21, is one of an unknown number of openly homosexual soldiers in the Armed Forces. He told his unit about his sexuality after a trip to a nightclub during pre-deployment training on Salisbury Plain. “The next morning I arrived for the exercise late because we’d had a bit to drink. The lads all asked if we’d had any luck, then at least our late arrival would have been worth it. I just said, ‘His name was Ryan’. Some of their faces dropped and they asked if I was serious. They couldn’t believe it.”

Trooper Rakestrow, of the Royal Tank Regiment, said that initial uncertainty had given way to acceptance and support from his unit. “I get banter from them all the time, but it’s good banter. They all want to know about my life. I don’t find it hard to talk about it.”

Despite the traditional view of the Army as a homophobic institution, Trooper Rakestrow described the decision as the best one of his life. He advised other gay soldiers considering coming out to talk to close colleagues first. “I would tell guys to find a few close friends and confide in them. Talk about it with them and then, if you’re confident, tell your mates. But the important thing is to tell them when it feels right.” >>> Tom Coghlan | Saturday, December 12, 2009

By Contrast, Being 'Out' Means Being Thrown Out for US Soldiers
Watch AFP video here | Monday, November 02, 2009

As Pressure Grows, Obama Addresses Gay Rights Group: He Promises to End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
THE WASHINGTON POST: President Obama, struggling to keep promises he made during last year's campaign, renewed his pledge to end the military's ban on openly gay service members as he appeared at a fundraising dinner for the nation's largest gay advocacy group on Saturday night.

"I will end 'don't ask, don't tell,' " Obama said at the Human Rights Campaign dinner. Recounting the ongoing effort to bring full civil rights to gays and lesbians, the president said: "I'm here with a simple message: I'm here with you in that fight."

Obama did not offer specifics on how he would advance the cause of allowing gays to serve openly in the military, or of same-sex marriage, two areas where his inaction as president have disappointed many gay supporters.

But on the eve of a major gay rights rally in Washington, an event aimed in part at pressuring Obama and Congress, the president was met with a standing ovation and resounding cheers. Obama acknowledged the frustration of some activists, portraying himself as a forceful ally in a lengthy fight. And while he said that gay rights are only one part of his agenda, which is loaded down with domestic and international challenges, he said that would not deter him.

"My commitment to you is unwavering, even as we wrestle with these enormous problems," Obama said. "Do not doubt the direction we are headed and the destination we will reach."

Just days after winning the presidency, Obama vowed that he would be "a fierce advocate for gay and lesbian Americans." >>> Michael D. Shear, Anne E. Kornblut and Ed O'Keefe, Washington Post Staff Writers | Sunday, October 11, 2009

USA : Obama face aux homosexuels
leJDD.fr: Barack Obama s'adresse ce samedi soir à la communauté homosexuelle, qui attend de lui des actes concrets.

"Ce n’est pas parce que nous entraînons nos enfants au foot ou au base-ball chaque week-end dans les Etats démocrates que nous n’avons pas de copains gays dans les Etats républicains! Nous formons un seul et même peuple!" Dans son discours à la Convention démocrate de Boston en 2004, l’étoile montante du parti, Barack Obama, avait eu cette phrase interprétée au sein de la communauté homosexuelle comme un engagement à donner aux "straights" et aux gays, aux hétéros et aux homos, les mêmes droits lorsqu’un jour il en aurait le pouvoir. Puis, George Bush, réélu, avait tout tenté pour faire échouer les revendications des gays et des lesbiennes, à commencer par le mariage homosexuel.

En devenant le candidat des démocrates en 2008, Barack Obama sait qu’il lui faut agir finement. Dépeint par ses adversaires comme un "libéral", quasiment un gauchiste, le sénateur de l’Illinois n’a de cesse de ramener le débat au centre, surtout sur les valeurs – peine de mort, avortement ou mariage homosexuel. Mais il prend malgré tout l’engagement d’abroger ou amender deux lois fédérales adoptées sous Bill Clinton. La première s’appelle le Defense of Marriage Act. Votée en 1996 par un Congrès à majorité républicaine, cette loi précise qu’au niveau fédéral, le mariage ne peut se comprendre qu’entre un homme et une femme et qu’aucun Etat fédéré n’est obligé de reconnaître la légalité d’un mariage homosexuel célébré dans un autre Etat. Trente-sept semaines après son arrivée, toujours rien >>> François Clemenceau, correspondant à Washington du Journal du Dimanche
Samedi 10 Octobre 2009

Obama verspricht Homosexuellen mehr Rechte: Aufhebung von Einschränkungen in den Streitkräften versprochen
Obama bei seiner Rede vor der Homosexuellen-Organisation Human Rights Campaign. Bild: NZZ Online
NZZ ONLINE: Präsident Barack Obama hat sein Wahlkampfversprechen bekräftigt, die Diskriminierung von Homosexuellen in den Streitkräften zu beenden. Auf einer Veranstaltung in Washington sagte Obama am Samstag vor 3000 Zuhörern: «Wir sollten patriotische Amerikaner nicht bestrafen, die hervortreten, um dem Land zu dienen.» >>> ap | Sonntag, 11. Oktober 2009

Obama to End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Military Policy
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: WASHINGTON--President Barack Obama on Saturday pledged to end a 16-year-old policy banning gay people from serving openly in the nation's military, in a gesture to a group that provided a major source of support during his campaign.

But the president didn't set out a timetable for reversing the policy. As a result, his pledge might not be enough to appease some in the gay community who feel that Mr. Obama hasn't moved quickly enough to address their issues -- even as his message could spark criticism from some conservatives and members of the military.

Speaking at a human-rights dinner in the capital, Mr. Obama vowed to end the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which allows homosexuals to serve in the military, as long as they don't disclose their sexual orientation or act on it.

The law has long been criticized by gay-rights advocates as a half-measure that doesn't fully recognize the rights and contributions of gay service-men and women. Mr. Obama has in the past said he would work to overturn the policy.

"We cannot afford to discharge people from our ranks with critical skills," he told a cheering crowd of about 3,000 at the black-tie event sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay civil-rights group.

Mr. Obama also appealed to Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits how state and federal bodies can recognize domestic partnerships in providing government benefits. He also vowed to press for legislation that would extend health and other employment benefits to domestic partners of workers. But he again didn't provide a timetable.

Mr. Obama's statements are likely to be welcomed by many liberal Democrats, although some activists criticized his failure to provide more concrete details. >>> Elizabeth Williamson | Sunday, October 11, 2009

Pres. Obama Addressed "Human Rights Campaign" Dinner
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What Do Gay People Think About Obama's Speech To Human Rights Dinner?