Thursday, March 31, 2011

Gay Navy Officer wins discharge hearing


Petty Officer Derek Morado today won his discharge hearing with the Navy after being told he faced ejection due to a MySpace photograph that was turned in anonymously. In the photo, Morado is seen kissing another man. Morado's lawyer told KMPH News that even though DADT has been repealed, that doesn't mean the military's investigations are over.

From Get Equal: This is good news for a few reasons -- it shows the power of grassroots efforts to apply pressure and the reality that, when we expose the truth and stand up for our dignity, we win. We don't know how many other servicemembers are facing discharge, but we will not rest until all Americans -- LGB and T -- are free to serve their country freely, openly, honestly, and without danger of discharge.

Today was a victory, and we're grateful to Derek for lending his story and his voice to highlight the fact that servicemembers are still facing the discharge process, even 100 days after the law was repealed. We're also grateful to our friends at AMERICAblog Gay, who partnered with us to send Derek into the courtroom with the names of thousands of supporters who were unwilling to let this happen without pushing back.

The Navy's panel voted 3-0 in favor of Morado's retention.

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