Oh, the moral majesty of the next generation. Below are excerpts of the August 9 resignation letter to the U.S. Military Academy from third-year student Katherine Miller, a lesbian who could no longer attend the academy on a hypocritical basis. (Where, by the way, are the resignations of adult officers who refused to serve the hateful policy in the Middle East?)
Subject: Written Statement of Resignation and Formal Disclosure of Homosexual Orientation…
3. STATEMENT OF RESIGNATION:
a. As of 9AUG2010 I am officially announcing my resignation from the United States Military Academy as a result of U.S.C. Title 10§654 policy concerning homosexuality in the armed forces.
b. I have not engaged in homosexual acts while a member of the U.S. Army, however I identify unequivocally as a lesbian. At present, I find military service to be incompatible with personal values.
c. My resignation is a completely personal decision; I was not pressured by military or civilian personnel to pursue resignation or disclose my sexual orientation….
5. RATIONALE FOR RESIGNATION
a. I have committed myself to evaluating the military’s gay ban from an academic standpoint. I published an academic style op-ed with the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, presented my research “A Network Evaluation of Cadet Attitudes toward Gays in the Military” at an INSNA conference, and was scheduled to present my DEOMI junior research “An Estimate of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Deaths in the War on Terror” before the Undersecretary of Defense in July (the presentation was postponed for the fall). I have also attended a Military Leadership Diversity Commission (MLDC) meeting and a House Armed Services Committee hearing addressing military personnel policies. Through my academic endeavors I cannot objectively rationalize the military’s policy concerning homosexuality.
b. The entire Office of Personnel and Readiness under OSD is devoted to development, education, and enforcement of personnel policies in order to ensure recruitment, retention, and maximization of DoD personnel. I intend for my resignation to offer a concrete example of the consequences of a failed law and social policy.
c. Specifically, I have created a heterosexual dating history to recite to fellow cadets when they inquire. I have endured sexual harassment for fear of being accused as a lesbian by rejecting or reporting these events. I have been coerced into ignoring derogatory comments towards homosexuals for fear of being alienated for my viewpoint. In short, I have lied to my classmates and compromised my integrity and my identity by adhering to existing military policy.
d. While at the academy, I have made a deliberate effort to develop myself academically, physically, and militarily, but in terms of holistic personal growth I have reached a plateau. I am unwilling to suppress an entire portion of my identity any longer because it has taken a significant personal, mental, and social toll on me and detrimentally affected my professional development. I have experienced a relentless cognitive dissonance by attempting to adhere to §654 and retain my integrity, and I am retrospectively convinced that I am unable to live up to the Army Values as long as the policy remains in place.
6. INTENTIONS FOR FUTURE SERVICE:
a. In the event that§654 is repealed and replaced with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, I plan to rejoin the military later in my career and serve as an officer in the United States Army. Service to others remains a core value to me, and I intend to repay my country for all the freedoms I enjoy as a U.S. citizen. I will continue to develop myself physically and mentally so that I will be properly prepared to rejoin the military in the future.
b. I will attend Yale University in September 2010 and reapply to West Point for AY2011-2012 in the event of repeal of§654 and enactment of a non-discrimination policy.
c. As a civilian, I will participate in formation and implementation of the repeal of§654 via means of academia and political activism…
