Navy Lt. Everett Earl Morrow breaks silence in light of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ controversy
“The time has come to speak out against this immoral, outdated policy,” Lt. Morrow says
From Paper Rox Scissors: NEW YORK, NY -- Lt. Everett Earl Morrow, a gay submariner who left the U.S. Navy in 2008 to pursue civilian opportunities because of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, has had enough.
“The time has come to speak out against this immoral, outdated policy,” says Lt. Morrow, who recently participated in an off-camera interview for “Out of Annapolis,” a forthcoming documentary about LGBT alumni of the United States Naval Academy. “I was inspired by Lt. Daniel Choi’s courageous coming out last year, and as someone who has dutifully and willingly served my country, I can no longer stand quietly by as gay and lesbian servicemen and –women continue to be at risk of losing their jobs because of their sexuality.”
“DADT is a policy of discrimination, which gay and lesbian members of the military must suffer through if they want to serve their country,” he continues. “The premise of the policy is maintaining military readiness and unit cohesion, which couldn’t be further from reality. As someone who has served on a submarine, in an all-male environment, my sexuality didn’t jeopardize our preparedness for battle or our overall solidarity. My crew was confident in my competence to get the job done. The only effect the policy did have, however, was that I couldn’t be open or honest enough to facilitate a true camaraderie with my shipmates.”
Lt. Morrow, who qualified as a nuclear engineer in 2007, doesn’t buy into the blanket argument that repealing the DADT policy will make heterosexual service members uncomfortable because they have to serve alongside homosexuals, either.
He says that during his tour of duty he observed the open-mindedness of several of his fellow service members with regards to homosexuality, and any bigoted comments or sentiments were as baseless and unwelcome as attitudes of sexism or racism – which are not tolerated among America’s armed forces.
What Lt. Morrow now seeks is equality for all Americans – regardless of sex, race or sexual orientation – who want to serve their country proudly.
“How can a nation that prides itself on freedom and justice for all uphold such contradictory policies?” Lt. Morrow asks. “Gays and lesbians can’t marry in most states, domestic partners are still denied many of the benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy, and we can’t serve openly in the military. Tell me, exactly what rights do we have?”
Lt. Morrow graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2003 with a B.S. in political science. He served on active duty for five years, spending his last three years on active duty as an officer aboard the USS Memphis, a Los Angeles-class submarine. Currently, his military status is inactive reserve.
To schedule an interview with Lt. Morrow, contact Mikey Rox at mikey@paperroxscissors.comComment via Facebook |
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