ODVA LGBTQ Veteran Coordinator
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Oregon's Department of Veteran Affairs created the position of LGBTQ Veteran Coordinator, the first of its kind in the country, in 2016 to address the disparity of LGBTQ veterans in Oregon who didn't have access to all of their earned benefits, and advocating, connecting, and building a community for the LGBTQ veterans of Oregon. The bill that created the position (Senate Bill 946[1]) was introduced by Senator Sara Gelser[2], D-Corvallis, and was passed in 2015 with votes of 24-5 in the Senate and 38-21 in the House. The position was created was to help veterans who not only didn't have full access to benefits but, were unfairly discharged because of sexual orientation while serving when the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell[3]" policy of the United States Military as those who are discharged with something other than "Honorable" are not eligible for benefits. It wasn't until later in the drafting process that it was realized the same practice that DADT encouraged also impacted veterans from WW II, Korea, and Vietnam as well.
Appointment of an officer rather than just legislation allowed ODVA to assign a face to their operations in the LGBTQ veteran community with Sen. Sara Gelser saying "We realized we could help more people with a coordinator. Plus, there are a variety of other needs this population has, the biggest of which is knowing they're welcome.[4]" This also tackled the issue of finding people who were affected and why they were discharged.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell[edit]
Don't Ask, Don't Tell was a policy issued under the Clinton Administration and was in effect for 17 years dating from February 28, 1994 to September 20, 2011. In regards to the creation of the first LGBTQ Veteran Coordinator, DADT prohibited people who "demonstrate a propensity or intensity to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the branches of the United States' armed forces, essentially enforcing a ban on openly gay service. DADT was in fact meant to be a compromise between the administration at the time and Congress, the latter of the two rushing to put the existing gay ban policy into federal law effectively stifling Clinton's efforts to repeal the ban. Clinton's continued efforts prompted opposition from the public, congress, and the then Joint Chiefs of Staff. All of this led to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. The "Don't Ask" meant that officials could not ask about a members sexual orientation. "Don't Tell" stated that a discharge could ensue if a member claims to be a homosexual or bisexual and or makes a statement indicating so. "Don't Pursue" and "Don't Harass" were also a part of this legislation with the former being an original part and the latter added later to stop harassment against members for any reason. "Don't Pursue" essentially established what the minimal requirements were for an investigation to begin.[5]
Discharges[edit]
While many military members were discharged before an official policy was put in place, 13,650 service members, who came forward, were discharged under DADT with 5,730 those discharges coming in 1997 through 2001. The rate of discharge dropped by ~25% after the events of September 11 however, a remained low until the policy was repealed.[6]
In the years since the policy was repealed, less than 8% of the veterans expelled from the military due to DADT have applied to have their discharges upgraded to honorable. Part of this is due to the fact that many veterans don't know this is an option, from a lack of advertisement.[7] Some of it is also because some veterans have moved on and may be weary of reopening old wounds. Danny Ingram, one of the first to be discharged under this policy, want their status to remain so people in the future can see the effects it's had on people.
Nathaniel Boehme[edit]
Nathaniel Boehme[8] was the first to serve in the role of LGBTQ Veteran Coordinator, beginning in May of 2016. Nathaniel is an openly gay man and served over 16 years in the U.S. Air Force, enlisting shortly after the attacks on September 11, 2001 he served in Iraq and during Saddam Hussien's trials for crimes against humanity. Nathaniel has managed to help and provide services for veterans and their families in not only the Northwest but also in Los Angeles. Given that he is the first of his kind, he's had to invent the job as he goes along. He's been quoted saying that he finds in difficult garnering trust from veterans in a department and organization that has historically been against their lives and sexualities. Shadows from Don't Ask, Don't Tell still exist today, as Nathaniel has said he finds it hard to find clients due to the being wary of outing themselves especially when trying to provide care for those outside of the Portland area.[9]
Nathaniel studied at the University of Utah, receiver a Bachelors in both Psychology and Sociology, and a minor in Women and Gender studies. He furthered his education with a Masters in Sociology at Washington State and received yet another at Portland State in social work.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Tracking Senate Bill 946 in the Oregon Legislature". Your Government :: The Oregonian. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ↑ "Sara Gelser", Wikipedia, 2021-02-21, retrieved 2021-02-22
- ↑ "Don't ask, don't tell", Wikipedia, 2021-02-06, retrieved 2021-02-22
- ↑ Oregonian/OregonLive, Casey Parks | The (2015-07-17). "Oregon lawmakers create first of its kind LGBT veterans coordinator". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ↑ "Don't ask, don't tell", Wikipedia, 2021-02-06, retrieved 2021-02-27
- ↑ "Don't ask, don't tell", Wikipedia, 2021-02-06, retrieved 2021-02-27
- ↑ Press, Jennifer McDermott, The Associated (2017-08-08). "Few vets expelled under 'don't ask' seek remedy". Military Times. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
- ↑ Boehme, Nathaniel. "Nathaniel Boehme". Nathaniel Boehme. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ↑ "Nathaniel Boehme". www.glapn.org. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
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