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Mark Thompson, in an article in Time mag, “Gays in the Military: Does a Sailor’s Murder Signal Deeper Problems?,” muses that the murder of Seaman August Provost is a some sort of sign that the rank-and-file heterosexuals in the military are not ready to serve with openly gay and lesbian colleagues.
Even as Pentagon lawyers begin trying to ease the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” prohibition on gays serving openly in the U.S. military, the murder last week of an apparently gay sailor at California’s Camp Pendleton has raised new questions over the readiness of the armed forces to accept openly homosexual personnel.Seaman August Provost of Houston was shot and killed while standing nighttime guard at his base on June 30. His body was found at about 3 a.m. after his guard shack had been torched, apparently to destroy evidence surrounding his slaying, according to Navy officials. Provost was gay, according to his family, gay activists and his MySpace page, and had reportedly “come out” to some of his Navy colleagues. Two California Democratic members of Congress, Susan Davis and Bob Filner, have asked the military to investigate whether Provost’s sexual orientation was the reason for his murder. Local gay activists have also asked for such a probe, and are planning a candlelight vigil outside Camp Pendleton’s gates this Friday, several hours after memorial services for Provost are to be held in Texas.
…The Navy has said there is no indication that the 28-year-old sailor was the target of a hate crime, but officials also decline to specify a suspected motive. “As it stands right now, we have no indication that there is any tie to what may or may not have been his sexuality,” a senior Navy officer in San Diego said Monday afternoon. This officer expressed frustration with blog and media reports saying Provost had been brutalized – in addition to being shot. “He did suffer gunshot wounds, and there was a fire in a pretty clear attempt to destroy evidence,” he said. “But he was not bound, he was not gagged and he was not mutilated.” At least two suspects – both sailors – have been questioned. One remains in custody and is expected to be charged.
This is madness. There are many stories of gay and lesbian servicemembers already serving openly, with their colleagues and commanding officers ignoring DADT. The problem with the Provost murder is not his sexual orientation, but the fact that the military may have someone with extreme homicidal tendencies within its ranks that directed them at Provost. After all, the Pentagon has allowed the number of felons, gang members and white supremacists to make its recruiting numbers; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to conclude that this would cause problem, if not in this specific case, other ones. And the murder victim’s sexual orientation is not a reason to keep gays and lesbians from serving, it’s a matter of prosecuting those who harass, maim and kill.
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New info passed on by Autumn and Lurleen:
Vigil for Navy Seaman August Provost on Friday, July 10th
The San Diego County-based organization DOD FED GLOBE and the North County LGBT Coalition are organizing a candlelight vigil. The details follow:
A candlelight vigil will take place on Friday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. The vigil will be held just outside of Camp Pendleton, at the corner of Monterey Drive and North Coast Highway. The Imperial Court de San Diego has provided financial support this vigil. Additionally, Organizers are calling upon communities outside of San Diego County to hold vigils in their cities at the same day and time.
Those who live in the central and southern parts of San Diego County are encouraged and invited to meet on the day of the event at 5:30 p.m. at the San Diego LGBT Community Center and caravan as part of a ceremonial “funeral procession” and head towards Camp Pendleton. Activists across Southern California will be organizing processions from other parts of Southern California as a showing of support for Provost and his family, and to encourage large numbers of people to attend. Organizers of the May “Meet in the Middle For Equality” event based in Fresno, CA have sent a call out to their networks in support of this event, and will be organizing groups of people to travel to San Diego from the Central California region.
Related:
* Sailor killed at Camp Pendleton may have been target of hate crime
9 Comments
Women are never assualted in the military? Racial crimes aren’t committed?This is ridiculous on it’s basic assumption – the military isn’t ready for LGBT to serve.
They already do serve, some pretty openly. To take the bigotry of a few and attempt to apply it to all like this is a farce
As longAfter all, the Pentagon has allowed the number of felons, gang members and white supremacists to make its recruiting numbers…
As long as they have a tattoo of a cross, then it’s perfectly OK.
Look, our nation is run by felons, gang members, and white supremacists. Why shouldn’t it be defended by them?
InterestingOne of my friends (a black female who has served) had the same argument when I discussed my annoyance over the DADT issue. I said there are probably plenty of instances of violence and not-ready-to-serve-with issues against blacks and women but that doesn’t force them into hiding and if fired for those reasons they can raise hell whereas it is strict policy for those who are gay to get canned.
She didn’t seem to understand that regardless of readyness some commanders are ready enough and units are in need enough that this law needs to go.
She said things take time but I said national security was at stake.
I don’t know if she was just playing devil’s advocate or if she actually believes that DADT should hold. I didn’t get a chance to ask her and mainly just argued with her points.
A wake up call….
…this is a reminder that as encouraging and remarkable the recent gay-positive attention in the media has been its hallways of power and influence are still prowled by straight male homophobes.
The irony is that Time was the first mainstream magazine to feature an out gay on their cover…and specifically about the ban on gays in the military: Leonard Matlovich THIRTY-FOUR YEARS AGO!
If Thompson were a journalist first and a homophobic shill for the status quo [or just a stealth Obama apologist in newshound clothing???] second, the “new question” raised would be “is there a continuing problem with the military’s failure to enforce Don’t HARASS?”
Some will recall that DH was added to DADTDP after the brutal murder of perceived-to-be-gay Barry Winchell at Fort Campbell in Kentucky where even one of his superiors had referred to him as a “faggot.” In addition, Clinton issued an executive order adding to military law what we STILL don’t have as civilians-hate crime enhancements.
There are many other documented instances of the military’s failure to enforce DH, but whether Provost’s murder turns out to be gay related or not, we continue to be “assassinated” in mainstream press by such “blame the victim” stories and we must let them know we’re not going to take it anymore.
Do you have a Time subscription? Write the editor at
letters@time.com and tell him you want to cancel and why.
Write him and raise holy hell even if you don’t.
No exceptions.Pam caught the main point.
Last time I looked, the punitive articles on murder, manslaughter and assault (Art. 118, 119, 128, that’s 10 USC §§ 918, 919, 928 et al) make no exceptions for the identity of the victim. All it takes is a willingness for the court-martial Convening Authority to press the case.
And something more than ambivalence by the Commander in Chief about enforcing the change even after DADT repeal.
thank you for the photo of Seaman August Provost in uniform …The photo you found is the only one I have seen in the ether that shows Provost in uniform. Is it not the military’s policy to release the official service photo of personnel who have died/been killed while on active duty (after the family is notified)?
The other two photos I’ve seen out there show Provost in civilian garb sporting some earrings. In one he’s completely relaxed and grinning, and in the other he has a hat pulled down over his eyes. Both set off my gaydar.
I’m just saying … in a homo-hating culture where images and sound bites too often define stories, it is of note that the pix circulating most show him as a gay civilian, not as a proud, capable sailor.
This murder could be a result of DADT.According to articles I read, Provost had been getting harassed for being gay. At least, that’s what a relative had relayed. DADT may have prevented Provost from getting the help that protection he needed. Now obviously there’s a lot of speculation there, but I’d like to see some journalism investigating that rather than justifying homophobia.
Even ifThis someone ‘proved’ the military wasn’t ready for gay people — a ridiculous leap to make — it would only serve to emphasize the importance of getting rid of DADT and passing massive reforms to legalize the open service of gay service members. Why? DADT puts them in the closet, so they can’t get any protection. If they’re being harassed and in potential danger, they can’t report it, for fear of being kicked out. If someone were being harassed in a world where DADT was repealed and there was legalized equality in the military, gay soldiers could seek help and protection and we could route out the violent bigots.
Could someone please clarifiy this point for me?I first saw this story as reported by CNN and I would just like some clarification on what his aunt is reported to of said re: her claiming he was bisexual.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/…