On National Coming Out Day, supporters ask lesbian and gay troops to stand and report

Ending Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was only one step in helping lesbian, gay and bisexual members of the U.S. military come out and serve with integrity, said Mike Yost, member of the board of directors of a new project for the integration of the armed forces.

Policymakers, activists and veterans spoke out Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, for Out Armed Forces, the effort asking LGB servicemembers to come out.

Yost is an Air Force veteran who was “deep in the closet” before his honorable discharge in 2001, he told the audience at Tivoli Student Union at the Auraria Campus.

Yost said he was closeted because of his conservative religious background, and under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell had no one to talk to about it. He told the gathering he “kicked the closet door down” only after his term of service.

Citing data that close to a third of military members surveyed in 2010 believed the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell would hurt the military, Yost said many lesbians and gays in service could remain apprehensive to come out.

So OutArmedForces.com will feature videos of coming out stories from active-duty service members and veterans, as well as their families and supporters, to encourage troops considering the risk – and also “put a face” to the community.

“Videos will help them realize they’re not alone,” Yost said. And of the troops who still oppose having out colleagues, he said, “I know that number will go down.”

Three members of Colorado’s congressional delegation – Sen. Michael Bennet, Rep. Diana DeGette and Rep. Jared Polis, who is openly gay – sent representatives to the event while they remained in Washington to vote on pending legislation.

Openly gay State Sen. Pat Steadman told the gathering coming out leads to personal liberation and strength.

“It’s very fitting we celebrate Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in the rear-view mirror on this day we celebrate being open about who we are,” Steadman said. “We are here to encourage service members to come out.”

A video booth set up during the 1:30 p.m. press conference recorded some of the first coming out stories for the website, including the account of Army Reserve member Chris Daugherty, who appeared in full uniform.

“My roommate got kicked out” over Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Daugherty said.  Daugherty was personally able to come out to some of his colleagues he considered safe or supportive – if they asked.

Daugherty said one thing about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell he always reminded people of is that it also prohibited service members from asking if fellow members are gay – but many did anyway.

“People ask you all the time,” he said, “and you are supposed to get kicked out for asking. My philosophy was to tell if they asked.”

Daugherty said he is now completely out.

That’s the kind of openness Yost and the project’s organizers are looking for; “The more people we get to come out, the better,” Yost said. “Imagine if just 10 percent of the 65,000 active-duty LGB service members came out.”

To participate go to http://outarmedforces.com