Lesbian U.S. soldier wins bid for asylum in Canada

http://www.canada.com/life/Lesbian+soldier+wins+asylum/2246070/story.html

This one really makes my blood boil - Private Bethenny Smith was scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan when she was outed by a colleague who saw her holding hands with a woman on her own time. She began to be harassed on a regular basis and received a death threat. (And, for what it's worth, Smith was stationed at Fort Campbell, where in 1999, Private Barry Winchell was beaten to death with a baseball bat because he was gay.) When she asked to be discharged under DADT, she was told that she would have to serve her tour in Afghanistan first, so she fled to Canada. WTF?!?!? Now they won't let a lesbian leave the army? She's received a death threat from an anonymous colleague!

Editing to add, from the article:


(Canadian lesbians, gays and transgendered people have been able to serve openly in the Canadian Military since 1992.)

It's a pity that this country and it's leadership doesn't see things the same way and would allow one of its own servicewomen to be persecuted in such a way.

:)

And can't wait to tell him about this.

but they won't kick out a psychotic dr who then turn around and kills 13 soldiers. This is fucked up!

...who wants to stay in, who is willing to do another tour in Afghanistan or Iraq, and who is an Arabic linguist, a Farsi linguist, a civil engineer, and a West Point graduate. He came out of the closet on the Rachel Maddow show, so I guess the army couldn't not discharge him.

Private Smith should have come out on TV; then they'd have to let her go.

Another excuse I heard for keeping the dr was they spent so much money on his education. They spent money on Lt. Choi and that didn't seem to be a problem. The military is destroying itself with it's draconian rules.

although maybe not - who knows?

The US military does try to charge the person they kick out for the training received. Just adds injury to insult. Most times the service member's senator has to get a bill before congress to reverse the billing.

I sincerely hope she wins though.

I used the headline from the article, but what she won was really the right to have her case reconsidered. I do hope she wins this.

I'll raise a glass of Molson next time I pick up a six pack!

And she might actually get to see what's going on in the World Cup qualifications, unlike here.

Thank you, Canada! :thumbsup:

nation.


I'm pretty sure.

Some day.