 |
Defense
Dept. University Elects
Openly
Gay Student Council President
by
365Gay.com August 31, 2006
|
| |
|
Washington, Aug. 30 -- The Uniformed
Services University, a Department of Defense military medical, nursing and
graduate school, has elected an openly gay man as student council president.
Patrick M. High becomes the first openly gay student council president at USU.
He was elected by a student body that includes uniformed personnel in the armed
forces and will represent graduate students at the university.
Before coming out High served nine years in the Illinois Army National Guard and
is currently a Ph.D. candidate at USU.
Although some civilians attend the university most students are either in the
military or have served. Most those who graduate from the university enter
jobs with the government in the public health field.
“Patrick High’s election as student council president is just the latest in a
series of signs that those serving in our armed forces are ready to welcome
openly gay colleagues,” said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
“High was elected based on his qualifications for the post, and that same
criteria should be the guiding force throughout the military. His fellow
students, including military students, have placed their trust in a leader who
represents their ideals and goals."
High said he hopes to “change military students’ perspective that gays can and
have served in the military and worked well with their straight counterparts.”
His other objectives, he said, include pursuing health insurance for civilian
graduate students and keeping USU competitive with other universities in the
metropolitan Washington, D.C., area.
Earlier this summer, a West Point graduate received a prestigious academic award
for his thesis opposing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on lesbian, gay and
bisexual service members.
(story)
Nevertheless, the nation's two veterans organizations this week are passing
motions calling for the continuation of the policy.
A bi-partisan coalition in Congress now supports legislation to repeal the
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R.
1059), introduced in March 2005 by Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA) now has about
120 supporters.
A recent poll by the Annenberg Foundation found that fifty percent of junior
enlisted personnel now favor allowing gays to serve openly.
Earlier this year, Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, USA (Ret.), the first
woman to achieve the rank of three-star general in the Army, called for repeal
of the law, saying it is “a hollow policy that serves no useful purpose.”
A study conducted last year for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
concluded that the U.S. military could attract as many as 41,000 new recruits if
gays and lesbians in the military were able to be open about their sexual
orientation.
|
