NROTC Expels Student for Gay Kiss

An eighteen-year-old college freshman has been booted from the Navy ROTC for bringing his boyfriend to a party and being open and honest about their relationship.

Todd Belok, a student at George Washington University, went into the ROTC understanding that there is a policy in place, the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy that Congress instituted sixteen years ago after then-President Clinton failed to integrate America's armed forces.

The measure was viewed as a compromise between allowing openly gay servicemembers into the armed forces, and barring them completely. Under DADT, gay soldiers are permitted--as long as they don't own up to being gay.

That includes body language along the lines of kissing one's same-sex partner.

Georgetown student newspaper The Hoya published a Feb. 20 article in which Belok was quoted as saying, "I had done a report on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in 12th grade.

I knew what it meant to be gay in the military."

Still, he evidently didn't think that being open about his sexuality outside of the ranks was going to endanger his military career.

But when Belok was accompanied by his boyfriend to a party at a fraternity, where he introduced the other man and was seen kissing him, two of his NROTC peers reported him, the article said.

Said Belok, "I was surprised when my commanding officer called me about it a few weeks later."

After another few weeks, Belok was informed that he had a choice: he could leave the NROTC on his own, or go before a Performance Review Board.

Belok turned to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the article said, and heard a recommendation to leave the NROTC. He was advised to wait until he graduated, and then go into the service via the Officers Candidates School, the article said.

Belok decided to face the Performance Review Board instead, and was kicked out of the NROTC

The article said that the action contradicted school policy protecting GLBT students from discriminatory treatment.

Until now, the article indicated, there had been no clash between that policy and the military's policy against openly gay troops.

The article quoted Belok as saying, "I don't have any resentment against my battalion or the Navy.

"After all, they just carried out a Defense Department policy."

But the result of his appearance before the PRB means that Belokk won't be in uniform until and unless the policy is revised or repealed.

Said Belok, "I cannot rejoin the Navy unless the current policy changes, and I'm focused on lobbying Congress to ensure that happens."

Though Belok may not hold a grudge, a Washington Post columnist took up his cause with some vigor.

In the Feb. 24 edition of The Washington Post, columnist Joe Davidson wrote, "The law might be called 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' but Todd Belok got kicked out of the Naval ROTC at George Washington University because somebody told."

Noting that Naval service is a family tradition--Belok's grandfather served in the Navy during the Second World War--Davidson wrote, "He refers to the military values of honor, courage and commitment so frequently that they could be his address."

Calling DADT "blatant bigotry enshrined in law," Davidson goes on to note, "Simply being gay is not a bar to serving, according to Pentagon guidelines. But you'd better be deep in the closet if you are."

"The military will discharge members who engage in homosexual conduct," say the guidelines, "which is defined as a homosexual act, a statement that the member is homosexual or bisexual, or a marriage or an attempted marriage to someone of the same gender."

Davidson points out that DADT might face repeal under the Obama administration, quoting from the Obama transition team Web site.

"President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," text at the site says.

"The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve," adds the site's text.

"Discrimination should be prohibited."

Davidson's column included a quote from an NROTC commander who defended the actions of the two cadets who reported Balik for kissing his boyfriend at the party.

Capt. Brian Gowne was quoted as saying, "If one of our students saw someone lie and they chose not to report it, that's a problem, a leadership issue.

"Do you want an officer out in the fleet who looks the other way?" continued Gowne.

The issue, however, both in Belok's case and more generally, seems to exactly about lying--which is what the policy in its current form seems to require gay troops to do, if they wish to serve their country in uniform.

Moreover, in this instance, applying the policy amounts to an invasion of privacy, argues Davidson:

"It should be hard to believe that in 2009 this kind of prying flows from the law of the land," the columnist wrote.

"It's so inconsistent with a nation that has made such strong efforts to combat bias."

Robertson cited statistics that have been assembled by the Servicemembers' Legal Defense Network, which opposes DADT and seeks its repeal. According to the group, more than 12,500 troops have been kicked out of the military for being gay during the 16 years of DADT, including a number of Arab language specialists whose translation abilities, the group has argued, constitute mission critical skills in the war on terror.

Davidson noted that the Performance Review Board has stated that Belok himself now bears "the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that retention is warranted."

Writes Davidson, "Ironically, that same section of the board's findings make the case for his retention," reading that Belok "is 'well supported' by his chain of command 'regarding his performance as a member of the unit,'" and continuing on to say that the cadet had given the board 'a favorable impression' of his suitability otherwise.

Wrote Davidson, "As if writing in the Alice in Wonderland style known as literary nonsense, the board acknowledged that it 'did not establish unequivocal evidence of homosexuality, which is a personal matter and not incompatible with military service,' but then recommended that Belok get the boot because of 'overwhelming evidence... of a propensity toward homosexual acts.'"

At the conservative chat site Free Republic conversation participants talking about the repeal of DADT offered comments such as, "This will emasculate and destroy the U.S. military," and, in answer to that claim, "That is, and has always been their purpose."

Wrote another chat participant, "When will these people realize--it is a privilege to serve--not a right.

"You must qualify for the military and maintain that qualification," continued the participant. "Because of this young man's mental defect, he simply doesn't qualify, so what, big deal--I'm sure he will be very good at doing something that doesn't require him to be a leader of men that may someday go into harms way.

"The military isn't for everyone--for instance, we don't keep people that can't maintain height and weight standards either, just like we don't keep drug abusers and people that cannot control their drinking or maintain a security clearance and we don't take people that have asthma either (something someone is born with)," the posting continued.

"It isn't that the military is discriminating against gay's [sic]--being straight is simply the standard, just like being able to maintain body fat composition standards and the ability to run and do push ups is a standard--fail to comply and you will get booted.

"Where is the outcry from the fat community, because I'm pretty sure there are more fat people in this country than gay people...where is the outrage for kicking out fat people--aren't they being discriminated against too!"

Another contributor posted an argument along the same lines, writing, "It has been and will continue to be my counter argument that fat people in the military can/should be able to use the same defense-they were born with the fat gene-they can't help being fat."

Continued the contributor, "The gay community usually counters with, "being gay is nothing like being fat, fat people can control what they stick in their..." Ah, let us get back to you on that."

Wrote one participant who claimed to be a retired military veteran wrote, "The military is NOT the place for social experiments.

"Our job is to kill people and break things."