It is official on September, 20 2011 the discriminatory Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy has been repealed and gay people may now serve openly in the US military. One soldier celebrated this moment in the most personal manner possible by coming out to his dad.
Note: I cannot verify if this guy is real; however, he does have a history of videos about being in the military. I have found evidence that this soldier is real.
It is a good day in American history. However, there is still a long ways to go. Just because gays can serve openly they still are not equal as they are not eligible for the same benefits as straight service members. In addition trans people still cannot serve in the military.
October 13th, 2011 at 7:26 am
Having spent large chunks of my childhood in Alabama, the video seemed genuine when he called his dad, “Daddy”. That’s a very Southern thing. In many parts of the country, “Daddy” seems to migrate to “Dad” as the child ages, but in the South the term “daddy” remains an affectionate term that a child will use well into adulthood.
Did you see the corresponding video with his mom?
I’ve watched several of his videos as they were released and found them interesting. But, I’m torn on the issue of recording this experience and then posting it to youtube. I’d feel more comfortable if I knew that his parents were aware of the posting and OK with it.
October 13th, 2011 at 11:04 am
I did find evidence that this video was genuine from this Washington Post article. I also have updated the post accordingly.
I did see the video with his mom… Unfortunately it did not sound like she took it too well at first. But according to his video earlier this week he just recently visited home and everything was OK with his parents.
October 14th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Glad to hear all is good with his family.