Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta kisses her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell.
After a United States Navy vessel pulls into its home port after deployment, it is a long-time tradition for one sailor to be selected, by raffle, to be the first to kiss his or her significant other. Earlier this week, for the first time in American history,
that sailor was openly gay: Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta kissed her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell, to applause.
The kiss is significant not only because of its novelty, but also because it marks the symbolic end of the policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which required lesbian, gay, and bisexual servicemembers to hide and lie about a significant part of themselves, and prohibited them from getting married.
The kiss also serves as a reminder for all of the progress that the LGBT community has made over the course of the past year. In addition to the repeal of DADT, we passed
marriage equality in New York State, four states (
Illinois,
Delaware,
Rhode Island, and
Hawaii) either passed civil unions or had civil unions laws go into effect, and the United States has made
a commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people through foreign policy. These are only a few of the
very many victories achieved by LGBT equality advocates in 2011.
Nonetheless, much work remains to be done: Despite the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010, and the implementation of the repeal earlier this year, much work remains to be done before lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender soldiers are treated equally and with fairness. Transgender Americans still face a
full ban from serving in the armed forces. A
ban on same-sex sexual intercourse also remains in place (there is no similar ban on heterosexual sex). Soldiers discharged while anti-gay policies were still in place today receive only
half the severance pay they would otherwise be entitled to.
Moreover, the Defense of Marriage Act remains in place, which deprives same-sex couples of important federal rights and benefits, as well as the recognition their commitment to one another and their families deserves. At the same time, those opposed to equality have been busy trying to push through bans on marriage for same-sex couples in
Minnesota and
North Carolina, and
repeal it in New Hampshire. Because of this discrimination – both directly stemming from the legislation, and indirectly through the bigotry it legitimizes – LGBT people have suffered greatly. Same-sex couples, even those legally married,
have been separated because they are not recognized under federal law. LGBT families also face
higher tax burdens, and are not able to access vital social safety net programs they would otherwise be able to participate in.
As distressing as these injustices are, looking back over the past year, I can come to only one conclusion: some day soon, LGBT people in this country will be treated with the equality and dignity they deserve, and have always deserved.
Image courtesy of the Associated Press.
