Photographer Seeks Closeted Military Personnel

Photographer Jeff Sheng is seeking as many participants as possible for a new photo project:

“Jess,  Bend, Oregon,  2009” is part of my newest photography project, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a series of photographs of closeted men and women in the United States military. For each image, I have asked the individual to wear their uniform, while staging the photoshoot in the bedroom or local hotel room where that person is currently stationed.  The reason for this is that I am most interested in the intersections between public and private space, and the government’s policing of our private spaces – the bedroom being the most representative space of this.  I have purposely shot each image in a way that obscures to some degree the identity of the individuals, and the final image that is released to the public is first approved by the subject, and is in many ways, their expression of their closeted-ness and lack of identity.  The name and location is also fictional: I have asked the subject to give me a first name and a location that is significant to them, but does not actually refer to the true name and location of who is in the photograph. My aim in this project is to use photography to create a visual record of the numerous individuals currently serving our country that are unjustly forced to hide an integral part of who they are."

You can contact Sheng via his website.

Clifford Stanley and Chai Feldblum Senate Hearings: Recaps

As I mentioned yesterday, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission nominee Chai Feldblum had her hearing at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Clifford Stanley had a confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee.

First Clifford Stanley's hearing. Stanley has been nominated to serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the Department of Defense and oversee "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", among other things.

HRC Backstory reports on the questions regarding the military gay ban, following John McCain's assertion that the ban was "Working successfully":

"Senator Levin followed McCain’s pro-DADT position by asking simply if Dr. Stanley would provide his best objective opinion over the repeal of DADT, to which Dr. Stanley responded with a simple yes.  An opportunity to elaborate was provided with Senator Udall (D-CO), who asked – while noting gays and lesbians already serve in the armed services, and that thousands of gays and lesbians are civilian employees working with military personnel – if Dr. Stanley was prepared to support a push by the White House to include repeal of DADT in policy recommendations in the defense budget next year. Dr. Stanley didn’t quite answer the question, recognizing this is a sensitive issue and that he would be seeking input from all sources, particularly the service chiefs and military personnel “from deck plate to squad level,” and provide a recommendation to Secretary Gates.  Dr. Stanley admitted he did not know what that recommendation would be, and will bear no preconceived notions as to the direction he will go in recommending action on DADT. Senator Burris (D-IL) asked what Dr. Stanley would do about pending discharge cases immediately upon confirmation.  Dr. Stanley – correctly – responded that the pending cases would fall under existing statute, and that he was unaware that he would have any role in these pending discharge cases (he wouldn’t)."

The Servicemember's Legal Defense Network (SLDN) expressed disappointment that Stanley "punted". Said Aubrey Sarvis: "When given the opportunity by Senator Mark Udall (D-Colo.) to support his commander in chief’s position to overturn the ban, Dr. Stanley did not do so. However, as is the case with most nominees, Dr. Stanley did not delve into any of the policy issues in his portfolio. We look forward to Dr. Stanley becoming fully aligned with President Obama on repeal."

A question about polygamy was the highlight of Feldblum's testimony, according to Law Dork, with regard to a petition the nominee had signed called “Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A New Strategic Vision for All Our Families & Relationships” which mentioned polygamous families as an "alternative" relationship:

Feldblum began, initially, by stating unambiguously, “I do not support polygamy.”  She went on to say that it was a “mistake” to sign the petition and told the Committee that it was for that reason that she asked for her name to be removed from it.  Ben Smith at Politico reported on Wednesday that Feldblum had sent a letter to the petition organizers asking that her name be removed.

Harkin pushed further, asking her to explain why she had signed on to the statement in the first place.  Feldblum stated that she had been asked to sign on to the petition by “another academic from Columbia.”  She said, “I agreed with the general thrust of the statement,” and that her work at the time was very focused on efforts to “support the range of caregiving relationships.”  It was for that reason, she said, that she signed on in support of the petition.

She concluded, though, “However, the statement goes beyond what I would have said.  That’s why it was a mistake to sign it and why I asked for my name to be removed.”

More at HRC Backstory and Law Dork.

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal to Be on Fiscal 2011 Defense Bill?

So says Barney Frank, reports the Washington Blade:

"Frank said in an interview with the Blade that repealing the 1993 law barring gays from serving openly in the military would happen as part of the fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill. 'The House will take up and the Senate will take up ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal,' he said. 'That will again, like hate crimes, even more so, will have to be done, I believe, in the context of the defense authorization. You can’t do the standalone bill. It belongs in the defense authorization.' Frank said lawmakers would seek to amend the defense measure to include a provision repealing 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.' Such a move would mimic the way Congress recently enacted the hate crimes measure."

Frank also criticized Dick Durbin, who recently suggested that Congress was too busy to take up DADT in 2010: "Frank said it was a 'terrible mistake' for Durbin to suggest that overturning 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' wouldn’t happen next year. Frank is among the supporters who have asserted Congress would take up repeal in 2010. 'I think that’s a terrible mistake for him to say that and I believe that it will be a great injustice to wait any longer,' Frank said. 'I don’t think he has that option.'"

In related news, the American Medical Association has voted to oppose "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and also said that bans on same-sex marriage "contribute to health disparities," the AP reports:

"The nation's largest doctors' group stopped short of saying it would seek to overturn marriage bans, but its new stance angered conservative activists and provides a fresh boost to lobbying efforts by gay-rights advocates."

News: Brooklyn, Jim Carrey, Asteroid, Jodi Rell, Subway Drama

This is how an American soldier is made.

Brooklyn's oldest gay bar, The Starlite Lounge, in danger of closing: "The Starlite Lounge has been a Crown Heights fixture since the 1960s, serving gays and non-gays. In recent years, the venue has become a destination for neighborhood folks looking for a casual daytime hangout, as well as revelers who frequent the dance parties and karaoke nights, according to Leviticus."

WATCH: Drunk Boston woman almost gets run over by subway.

Jim Carrey's new website is pretty fantastic.

Gay man running for Toronto mayor.

Rhode Island domestic partners bill awaits anti-gay governor Carcieri's signature: "An opponent of gay marriage, Carcieri has not yet stated whether, he will sign, veto or allow to become law without his signature a bill to provide domestic partners with the right to make funeral arrangements for their partners."

How same-sex marriage has worked in The Netherlands.

Excellent chart on same-sex marriage and age.

Gays are not welcome at Vatican City, but what about all the gays who are already there?

Madonna is in Brazil to meet Jesus Luz's mother, who is 14 years her junior.

Andy Warhol's "jock" Polaroids are on display in NYC.

A previously-undiscovered asteroid came within 14,000 km of Earth last week and it was only noticed 15 hours before its closest approach: "This is the third-closest known non-impacting Earth approach on record for a cataloged (sic) asteroid."

David Beckham got a post-Halloween buzz.

Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell says she's not running for reelection: "Rell choked up while listing her favorite memories while in office, including meeting those affected by the passage of public health insurance for the poor, updates to mass transit, and improvements to the state's education system. She cited a gay couple who hugged her at Stafford Motor Speedway after she signed the nation's first voluntarily passed civil union bill."

Westboro Baptist Church protests outside of Sasha and Malia Obama's school in D.C..

James Franco's General Hospital role: graffiti artist?

Paris Hilton threatening to sue for being made the spokesmodel for vacant space - literally.

New York Army specialist in Baghdad being discharged under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': "Nathanael Bodon of Marlboro is a specialist in the Army Reserve stationed in Baghdad, Iraq. He has been in the reserves for about a year-and-a-half and in Iraq for some four months. The Army found out about Bodon when a fellow soldier found his blog with a picture of him kissing a former boyfriend and tipped off the Army brass."

Sally Kern's husband to join religious groups for Monday rally in D.C. against marriage equality.

Brazilian model Miro Moreira lowers his rate.

N.Y. Posts' Andrea Peyser defends cabbie who kicked out gays for hugging: " Mohamed faces the indignity of having his cab license yanked by the Taxi and Limousine Commission. He's already lost his job. But Medhat Mohamed is no bigot, and he's not a disgrace. He's also not a prude, a gay basher, a homophobe or the more colorful invective that's been lobbed in his direction by a chorus of yuppies with a large bone to pick."

Iraq Vet Darren Manzella Talks About Coming Out, Military Gay Ban

Darren Manzella talks about his tours of Iraq, coming out, and 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in this new video interview from CNN.

Says Manzella: "After returning from my first deployment in Iraq, after seeing death and violence, losing friends and comrades, it really made me look over my life...I looked at some issues I had always had trouble with. I had debated, 'Am I gay?'"

You may remember Manzella's interview with 60 Minutes, after which he was discharged under DADT.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Study: Support for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Erodes Within Military

Researchers from the RAND corporation and the University of Florida have released the results of a new study which shows support for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has declined from within the military ranks:

The study found that just 40 percent of the military members surveyed expressed support for the policy, while 28 percent opposed it and 33 percent were neutral—less support than seen in previous surveys.

About 20 percent of those polled said they were aware of a gay or lesbian member in their unit, and about half of those said their presence was well known. In addition, three-quarters of those surveyed said they felt comfortable or very comfortable in the presence of gays or lesbians, according to the study...

...Researchers found no significant differences regarding attitudes toward gay and lesbian military members among members of the different services. Other findings from the study include:

* Compared to previous studies of military members, support for the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban continues to decline. The earliest polls in 1993 showed 75 percent agreed with the ban, 8 percent unsure and 16 percent were against it.

* The important factors for cohesion and readiness were officer/non-commissioned officer quality, training quality and equipment quality. Beyond these factors, knowing a gay or lesbian person in the unit was not associated significantly with ratings of unit cohesion or readiness.

* The most frequently endorsed arguments in support of integrating gays and lesbians were those that prioritized performance and qualifications over exclusionary practices.

Of course, Congress may be too busy this year or next to do anything about it.