The linked story is both scary to read and alarming given the general impressions about what the end of DADT would accomplish. The story is worth your time and reading on its own merits, but I also want to use it as an illustration of another point. Laws alone do not end anti-gay efforts.
The legacy of DADT is an ingrained hostility to gays and a lifestyle that for years was either illegal in the military or something not to be acknowledged or talked about. That is a mentality that for some could take a long time to change, if it changes at all.Says Jones, “There are some that are a little understanding but the majority of them kind of stare at me as if I was doing something wrong.”Prior to and after DADT, the climate of hostility toward gays from within the military, not just the U.S. Marine Corps and Camp Pendleton, has been well documented.
Truly creating a culture where everyone is welcomed and valued is a slow process that requires work every single day by everyone. Yes, we need legislation, and we also need cultural change. Laws have some influence there, but the real change creator when it comes to cultural acceptance is having gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans persons come out. If every single person came out and refused to hide one’s identity, there would be no way that the larger culture could continue to allow us to be bullied as the status quo.
I just so frustrated every time I hear some lesbian or gay person complain that the President hasn’t done enough because he hasn’t come out to support same-sex marriage. Like a changing law, the endorsement of one person, the President, isn’t going to be the thing that makes the dominoes fall against anti-gay bigotry and violence. Yes we need endorsements- they help-just as we need changing legislation. However if we are serious about really demanding equality, then the real work is for each and everyone of us to be daily working to be a visible force for cultural change. To blame the President, or the lawmakers is a lazy excuse that fails to address the whole of the situation.