Last week's cover of the Marine Times
It’s been a long time in the making but my own very non-military-concerned and currently very work heavy life has made me lackadaisical toward tomorrow’s repeal (finally) of the infamous Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Luckily, the Portland Mercury is all over the best places in to celebrate tomorrow’s lifting of the ban on gays in the military. I don’t have time to reinvent the wheel with my usual witticisms and bad puns so I will simply copy the information, as well as let you know that Mayor Sam Adams tweeted that he wants you to celebrate with him at city hall.
Tomorrow will be a historic day for the US, when we join the ranks of counties forward-thinking countries like Albania, Russia, and Israel and welcome openly gay folks to serve in our military.
Portland has a couple different events going on for the occasion. All day long, there’s a job and social services fair at the Oregon Convention Center that aims to help vets get reintegrated into society. There’s an official Human Rights Campaign plus Portland-politicians-lovin’-the-gays serious thing at city hall at 11:30am if you want to shake hands with Sam Adams. Then from 5-9pm, there are speakers and a celebration of the repeal at the Q Center (4115 N Mississippi Ave). I’ve been informed that there will be apple pie and a full bar—it doesn’t get more American than that.
For more info about LGBT Portlanders in the military, check out my interview from last year with Portland’s Veterans for Human Rights.
