A decade of Asking and Telling.

 When I was younger I always wanted to be an Astronaut and in order to to do that the most direct way was by joining the military.   I grew up with several members of my family having been in the military and many friends of the family being active or veteran service members. 

When I was about 12 or 13 I started to have strange feelings when it came to other boys.   Yes, I do like women and yes I do like men.   I didn't know it at the time but the term was bisexual.   The most common word I heard thrown around concerning men that like anything outside of the cis herteronormativity was "Faggot."   I had met many "Fags" and they weren't bad people.  They were very kind, compassionate and brave.  Much more so than some of the veterans and active service at the time were.
When I was about 16 I started to understand what all of  it meant outside of the hatred and silence that surrounded the topic.  I started to understand more about myself and what I was romantically interested in.  At 17 I accepted myself and chose to be open about myself even though I knew it would exclude me from the dreams of traveling among the stars that I had always held so dear to my heart.

Fast forward to some undefined time during 2003 basement, my bullet riddled body struggling to stay standing against a day of being tortured and beaten facing charges of terrorism and treason.  I stood tall, told my story to the people laying the charges at my feet and my home in shambles. 

I didn't spit in their face, I told them the mission that they were about to go into and then I stood my ground with their commander. After walked myself out to the ambulance.
I don't know how long I was in a coma after that.

I continued to server my country as a private consultant and investigator, held the oath of service in my heart and have done my best to uphold the ideals and definitions of the constitution and serve the American people even though, at the time, I would be spit on, attacked, and harassed if the fullest extent of who I was were ever made public knowledge. 

Here we are almost ten years after the "Don't ask Don't Tell" policy has been repealed and an entire generation of troops are only taught about this struggle in their history classes.   Yes, there is still a long way to go when it comes to LGBTQ  rights in this nation, and the world as a whole and I'll continue fighting that fight until I can lay down my sword and rest or until Freyja carries me to Vahalla.  Either way I continue.

This year we had a great victory for our Transgender brothers and sisters and it gives my weary heart hope. 

Stay Safe out There, and if you feel you need to fight.
Do it with glitter.
Love is Love.
~Jack.