Navy leads way implementing equality for gay, lesbian service members
Rudy Molinet is a realtor and member of EQFL's Key West volunteer team. He writes a regular column, Rainbow Reflections, for the Key West Citizen. Last week as the military prepares to end Don't Ask Don't Tell, he toured the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman - named for the President who integrated the military over 60 years ago.
By Rudy Molinet, Key West Citizen
"We joined the Navy to see the world, and what did we see, we saw the sea." Such went the Irving Berlin tune made famous by Fred Astaire in the 1930s as he danced his way across an aircraft carrier in the movie "Fleet Week."
In a modern-day rendition, I had the honor to "join the Navy" for a few hours aboard the USS Harry Truman, and what I saw was a sea of change happening right before my eyes. A few days before my visit, the Navy was the first branch of the military to announce guidelines for implementing the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the policy that has barred gays from serving openly in the U.S. military since 1993.
