Sixty more days left.
My 62nd birthday takes place on September 23rd. DADT's final repeal is on September 20th.
On my 30th birthday, in 1979, I was informed by my Air Force attorney that my (forced) resignation had been approved. I had taught the first female-inclusive class at the Air Force Academy the previous academic year, but I had to resign simply because I was gay. In two months, no longer will someone be forced to resign as I was simply because he is gay.
How many men and women have been forced to resign over the years that not just DADT was in effect but all of the other excluding policies were official policy? How many of those men and women are no longer with us, to experience the quiet satisfaction that I am feelilng now with this impending repeal?
Whenever I began to doubt that this despicable policy would never be overturned in my lifetime, I thought of the lyrics by the late Sam Cooke: "It's been a long, long time coming; but a change gonna come. Oh yes, it will."
About the Author
I was born in Florida in 1949; raised in California in the 50's, 60's and early 70's; and have lived in Colorado since 1978, when, as a captain, I was stationed at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and taught freshman English for three semesters. More than a decade before "Don't ask; Don't tell," I was then outed and discharged in 1979, for being gay.
I currently live in Indio, CA, with my incredible husband (we were married May 4th, 2019), Mark Gallegos, as well as with our two delightful cats, Tabby and Pudge, who allow us to feed and care for them on a daily basis. I have written and edited the RAINBOW ARC OF FIRE series since March of 1994, publishing the first volume, A MILE-HIGH SAGA, in the fall of 1996. All ten published paperback volumes are available through amazon.com as inexpensive print-on-demand copies. In addition, all ten volumes are available as amazon Kindle editions.
I currently live in Indio, CA, with my incredible husband (we were married May 4th, 2019), Mark Gallegos, as well as with our two delightful cats, Tabby and Pudge, who allow us to feed and care for them on a daily basis. I have written and edited the RAINBOW ARC OF FIRE series since March of 1994, publishing the first volume, A MILE-HIGH SAGA, in the fall of 1996. All ten published paperback volumes are available through amazon.com as inexpensive print-on-demand copies. In addition, all ten volumes are available as amazon Kindle editions.
Interview
at gayleague.com
Rainbow Arc of Fire Book Titles
1) A Mile-High Saga, Fall 1996
2) Autumn Saga, Spring 1997 
3) Souls Within Stone, Fall 1997 
4) Worlds Beneath Us, Spring 1998 
5) Slight of Mind, Fall 1998 
6) Harmony of Spheres, Spring 1999 
7) Who Has Dominion?, Spring 2001 
8) A House Divided, Spring 2002 
9) Shattered Dawn, Winter 2009 
10) Olive Branch, Winter 2009 
|
Cleo
William
Michael
Joseph
Marina
Joan
Greg
Paul
Jane
Dino
Letter to the editor
Forty-five years ago, I used to read the Legion of Super-heroes stories in Adventure Comics from DC. I noticed a wide discrepancy between how often some of the lesser characters appeared versus the more well-known team members. So I decided to document my findings and mail them in to DC after counting how many times each of the heroes appeared in all the panels of all the existing Legion comics. To my surprise and delight, DC Comics printed my letter to the editor and gave me my own super-hero name. Joe Palmer of the gayleague.com found that letter and provided it to me. Here it is.
