interview any roommates I might have before
letting my children visit. “Why shouldn’t she?” I
responded.

Then they asked me if I had a roommate
now. I said yes. Then came the clincher. “Is he
gay?” they asked. They had no reason at all to
ask that question, and, once again, I found
myself in that same situation I had been in a few
years past. Again, I found myself almost frozen
with emotional conflict.

And, sadly, once again, I found myself
lying. “No, he is not,” I said, “he is just a room-
mate.” I glared at them. Now I was pissed. Then
more questions. I finally told them that if they I
wanted to know anything else, they would have
to ask my ex-wife as she had the decree drawn
up with her lawyer.

They tried, too. But she refused to talk to
them. She knew, as well as I did, that the alimo-
ny and child support would disappear if I sud-
denly were discharged for being gay.

I finally had the opportunity to retire with
only 19 years of service due to a downsizing
authorized by Congress. I jumped at the chance
and finally broke free from the loop that seemed
to be slowly closing in on me.

I have often thought about the courage of
those around me who were standing up and
telling their military service that they were gay.
There seemed to be so many of them at the time
that I felt distinctly uncourageous and selfish.

But the sad fact remains that gay men
and women are still being rounded up and boot-
ed out of the military, "in spiteof a policy that is
supposed to: prohibit it.

I am not especially proud of how I han-
dled being gay in the military when I was there.
But I ‘am proud of all those gays, lesbians, bisex-
ual and others who served and still serve. And 0
they don’t_deserve to be treated the way they are.

Inthelyear 2000, l,'_2l2 men and women

were summarily discharged solely because of
their sexual orientation. That’s over a thousand
people whose lives were suddenly and sadly
uprooted and redirected in spite of their talents
and abilities.

Over 1,100 of these discharges occurred
because the service member merely stated his or
her sexual orientation. A

In 1999, a gay soldier, Pfc. Barry
Winchell, 21, was beaten to death in his barracks
at Fort Campbell. While two soldiers were con-
victed of his murder, no officers were held

accountable, and officials declared there was no

atmosphere of homophobia on the base.

' Add Pfc. Winchell’s name to an all-too-
long list-of those who have been killed in the
military "imply because they were gay, let alone
the tens of thousands who have been summarily
discharged.

-1 can recall many, many times and

- accomplishments of which I am very proud dur-

ing my service in the Navy. Being gay never
made a difference. However, the times I did not
come out when I was challenged are not part of
these fond memories.

Today I live in the shadows of hundreds
of heroes.‘While I was never one of them, maybe
it’s not too late to lift up my voice to champion
their cause. V ‘

Chuck Franklin, Commander, US Navy ,
(Retired), lives in Colchester, Vermont, and ‘ ' I
works as a waiter at the Burlington International

Airport restaurant. His two teenage sons live in
L South Burlington.

For more information on the rights of gays and
lesbians in the military see wwwsmldn. org, the
web site of the Service Members Legal Defense
Network. I '0

 

(1) Would President George Bush (Sr.) have allowed
this picture to be taken during the summer of 1992
in the Oval Office with then Lieutenant Commander
Franklin if he knew Franklin was gay?

(2) Commander Chuck Franklin talking with an
unidentified officer (I) in California during the spring
of 1996, along with Linda Tripp (r).

Tripp was. his last supervisor prior to his retirement
and knew Franklin was gay but -never told.

4..s--.;444..au..n...-anuo;a1-.2-on:-nuso-mo.-:-..:

xa-4-aunn-1-.¢.uv-as«wn¢4¢.r¢.n~nouns-~11:

«.13.-.-vv-rr.-.1»v,u.u.v...r,-2r --