The Nation has a great piece which brings facts to debunk myths about Bradley Manning. I’d love to write more about this, but it will suffice for now to simply link to the post. Every American needs to care about Bradley Manning and how his court martial continues. He must be held accountable for his wrong doing, but he should not be vilified or demonized, and he should also be celebrated as a whistleblower uncovering wrong doing by our government. He can be BOTH held accountable AND celebrated. That is a possibility.
Everyone needs to care because Manning shows how any one person is capable of opening up the shadows and bringing truth to light. Everyone needs to care, because we, as a Nation must be able to trust and count on our Government and our Armed Forces to act without corruption, lies, cover up, and misinformation.
Every gay, lesbian, bi, trans and queer person must care because Bradley Manning is you and me. He is a small person who believes things can be better and wrongs can be righted with the truth. He is a person attacking the Patriarchy which is about “power over others” and believing that the ends justify the means no matter who is harmed.
The end to inequity for all Civil Rights issues, including LGBTQ issues comes by shining a light on a failed patriarchal system which promotes bigotry and special rights for the heteronormative. Could he have done good without potential danger to others? Perhaps. That’s why it is so crucial to separate fact from myth, so that in all efforts to end wrong doing, (like the fight for full equality) we do so causing little harm and the maximal amount of good for all.