#dont ask dont tell

[montyjeffrey]

Allen R. Schindler Jr. was a 22-year-old American Radioman Petty Officer Third Class in the United States Navy who was murdered 30 years ago today on Navy Day while on shore leave in Sasebo, Japan, by his fellow shipmates, who were provoked only by the knowledge of his homosexuality.

Allen R. Schindler Jr. was born on December 13, 1969, in Chicago Heights, Cook County, Illinois, to Dorothy Hajdys-Clausen and Allen Schindler Sr. Allen was the third of four children, and his family was three generations Navy. His grandfather served in WWII and his stepfather in Vietnam; following in their footsteps, Allen enlisted while still in junior high at Bloom High School. After graduation, he shipped out and left Chicago Heights for the first time to serve his country.

Allen was in the Navy for four years. He served on the USS San Jose, the USS Midway, and was serving on the USS Belleau Wood at the time of his death. The USS Midway was Allen’s dream assignment. He described the 11 months he spent on the aircraft carrier as his happiest days in the Navy. The Midway was a relatively tolerant ship where Allen didn’t feel the need to hide being gay.

On the Midway, he saw action in Operation Desert Storm and received a patch for his involvement in the campaign. Allen even extended his four-year tour so he could ride the last voyage of Midway before its decommission and got his own memento — a tattoo of Midway on his arm.

In December 1991, Allen was transferred to the USS Belleau Wood, and the harassment began almost immediately. According to reports, the Belleau Wood gained a reputation for being "the worst ship of all" when it came to homophobia and violence, where there was open hostility towards gay shipmates amongst the 950-plus crew. Newcomers Terry M. Helvey and Charles E. Vins were part of a group on board the ship that routinely harassed shipmates suspected of being gay. Helvey threatened gay shipmates that if they didn’t get out of the military soon, he and his gang were going to personally do something about it, and he continued to harass Allen whenever he could. Allen’s shipmate and friend, Keith Sims, reported Helvey and Vins to the ship’s legal officer, Captain Bernard Meyer, but nothing was done. Instead, Meyer probed into Sims’ sex life. When shipmate Richard Eastman reported being attacked the night before Allen was killed, Meyer took no action to stop the harassment and also probed into his sex life.

Allen was punched, pushed against walls, and repeatedly called homophobic slurs. He told his uncle that sailors had attacked him. Homophobic notes and graffiti were left on his bunk. Sims said they would deliberately spill hot soup on him. When Allen complained to his superiors in March and April of 1992 that his locker was vandalized and he had received multiple death threats, little was done in response. Instead, Douglas J. Bradt, the Belleau Wood Captain, ordered him to attend Alcoholics Anonymous, despite Allen not being an alcoholic.

Allen’s complaints continued to go unanswered. By September, he had reached his breaking point and requested to see the captain, but his request was denied. While operating the radio, Allen transmitted an unauthorized statement, "2-Q-T-2-B-S-T-R-8," which read: "Too Cute To Be Straight." The message was heard by much of the Pacific Fleet. Allen described the defiant message in his journal as his way of letting out his "true colors."

On September 24, Allen went to see the Belleau Wood Executive Officer, where he formally declared he was gay and requested an administrative discharge and transfer. Allen told the XO, "If you can’t be yourself, then who are you?" The XO agreed but told Allen he still had to take what was coming to him. Allen also informed Captain Bradt and Captain Meyer. He was told the processing of his discharge would take two weeks, but his superiors insisted he remain on the ship until then. Although Allen knew his safety was at risk, he obeyed orders.

On September 25, Allen was called to appear at a captain’s mast to deal with his unauthorized radio message. He had requested that the hearing be closed for confidentiality, but Captain Bradt disregarded his request and opened the mast to 200–300 crewmen in attendance. Allen made no admission of his homosexuality at the mast. Some shipmates took it as an invitation to harass him with impunity. Allen’s rank was reduced from RM1 to RM3, and he was punished with a 30 day restriction to the ship.

As word of his sexual orientation spread quickly throughout the Belleau Wood, Allen’s friends began to avoid him. Allen confided in his ex-boyfriend, Navy veteran Jim Jennings, how increasingly difficult it was becoming for him to avoid confrontation. On October 2, he wrote in his journal: "More people are finding out about me. lt scares me a little. You never know who would want to injure or cease my existence."

Straight sailors who knew Allen and were concerned for his welfare introduced him to a trio of gay entertainers working near Sasebo; one of the entertainers, Eric Underwood, said Allen told him "people harassed him 24 hours a day" and that he had such a hard time going back to that environment that he had to coax him to the door. When the Belleau Wood was getting ready to leave Sasebo, Allen was reluctant to leave Eric’s room and was trying to stretch out the goodbyes. The next night, he was dead. Entertainer Valan Cain had gone to the public restroom where Allen was slain and found blood all over the walls and inside the urinals. By the next day, someone had left a bouquet of flowers on the floor. "You could see blood streaks almost to the top of the roof," Cain said. Many servicemen interviewed afterward expressed revulsion at the attack. One serviceman remarked, "Whoever did that should hang."

On the morning of October 27, 1992, Allen called his mother and told her he was coming home for Christmas. It would be the last time he would ever speak to her again. Just before midnight, Allen’s mutilated, disfigured body was found sprawled out on a public restroom floor.

Terry M. Helvey and Charles E. Vins stalked and followed Allen into the public restroom, where they ambushed him, then savagely, sadistically, and brutally beat and stomped him to death until he was unrecognizable. His mother could only identify him by the tattoo of Midway on his arm. Every organ in Allen’s body was destroyed. His face and head were caved in, and he had shoe prints imbedded into his face and chest. The pathologist who performed the autopsy on Allen said it was the worst case he’d ever seen in his whole career, even worse than a case of a man trampled to death by a horse, and compared the damage done to Allen’s body to that of a high-speed car crash or a low-speed airplane accident.

Captain Bradt, who tried to keep the murder quiet and had threatened Allen’s shipmates, was sent to shore leave in Florida. For testifying against Helvey, Vins was given a four-month sentence, of which he only served 78 days. Helvey was given a life sentence, but since 2002, he has been eligible for parole. He was denied parole on March 7, 2022.

Allen Schindler’s case became synonymous with the debate concerning LGB members of the military that had been brewing in the United States, culminating in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Allen’s mother, Dorothy Hajdys-Clausen, after learning the truth about her son’s death and the Navy’s subsequent coverup, became one of the most outspoken and sought-after advocates for gay rights to serve openly in the military. In 2011, the DADT policy was repealed, allowing LGB servicemen and women to serve openly in the military for the first time.

Allen Schindler loved the Navy and was a proud sailor who volunteered to fight for his country — to lay down his life if he had to. He didn’t sign up to die to advance gay rights, but that is ultimately what happened. It was brave of him to come out when he did in the environment that he did, and he died because of it. He was a hero.

[remembertheplunge]

The witch hunt is in full regalia

Monday, July 19, 1993

Clinton weenied out. He announced the new policy of" Don’t ask Don’t Tell" regarding gays in the Military. Zoe called. …don t tell, don’t ask. 

Some employees in the Stanislaus County Court House stand in dark, cloistered corners and say “Lew’s sexuality…did you hear?"

July 20, 1993 Tuesday

One month now into age 38. 

Well, I guess my grandiose plans of becoming a major general  in the military are out. (I’m gay and I do tell)

Don’t ask. Don’t tell Don’t pursue are the watch words of the day here in Police State USA.

And, if you so much as slightly touch, you’re out on your ass. Each touch (in the military) a lost career. 

The witch hunt is in full regalia.

I came out to two fellow deputy public defenders today in the public defender library in honor of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy passing.

They acted as if they’d known forever. They knew a peace in it I do not know.

I think really they were in pre process mode where they may indefinitely remain on this issue.

It’s funny—what I did today in the library could result in my being "fired” if we were in the military. “Don’t Tell” 

“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” has been my life experience today.

End off entries

Actually, I would be fired from my Deputy Public Defender’s job 39 days later on August 29, 1993 basically for being vocal about being gay and promoting gay related issues. I paid the price for “Telling"

President Bill Clinton, in his speech in which he laid out the details  Don’t Ask Don’t Tell on July 19, 1993, called us Homosexuals at the beginning of his talk.  He called  Don’t Ask Don’t Tell an honorable compromise. He said It will bring  an end to witch hunts for gays in the military. Later in his speech, he referred to the  the gay ban and to  Gay service members. If you say you are homosexual,  there is  reputable presumption that you will engage in prohibited  manner. The  presumption may be defended against. Unacceptable conduct  is unacceptable on or off the base and would result in discharge. You must remain celibate if you are gay.

Zoe was my younger sister.

[blazingstar29]

anyone got any good resources on what the military was like before DADT? google just focuses on dadt doesn't really come up with anything from before it, only during and after

[leahlascivious]

I make the best titty drop videos if you are not following me on OF you are missing out !!!

[dekuxroki]

“don’t ask don’t tell” - ms_chunks (its from 2018 im late)

LET ME START BY SAYING…… this is a blessing of a story. I’ve never read or tried a Kachaako (is that the name) fic before. A few weeks ago my friend and I traded some fan art of them and I thought, “ykw i could see it maybe…..”, and I wasn’t looking for this fic. At all. I was reading a lovely BKDK fic as usual and this fic was named as an inspiration for it, so I kinda just did it.

It made me a believer in this dynamic. THIS dynamic is *chefs kiss*. I LOVE IT. I L O V E IT.

This author writes so well and just made me so happy. Also the amount of teenage love / giddiness / age appropriate affection is just so perfect. No smut in it which makes it just so cute. The author DID write a one off to appease the masses of deku x kachaan x ochako (which i read and…. woah! good rep of ace!deku), so check that out too if ur interested it’s called “Long Time Coming”.

Anyways i love this pairing, this author, this fic, their fighting, their characterization, and everything in between. Check it out of you haven’t before <3

[flancito22]

When life if getting really hard, sometimes all you need is your best friend to ask you to read one of your favorite fanfics together, of a ship that she actually doesn't even ship anymore, just because that's how awesome she is. @beinglore I love u sfm

❤❤❤❤❤

[ziggyz-eyepatch]

I'd never kink shame. Sometimes though I'm very kink ashamed.

[the-one-who-lambs]

This is a super super gentle reminder not to put your favorite authors on a pedestal. We're real people living average lives and not trying to be influencers. We criticize ourselves enough and we don't want to be held to an invisible standard (we start to worry we fail to exceed our own selves) or compared to other writers (we are not competing) or tailor our craft to cater to a wider audience (the right people will find you).

[montyjeffrey]

On this day, April 25, 1993, one of the biggest protests in American history took place in Washington, D.C., where a million people participated in the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. Dorothy Hajdys-Clausen, the mother of Navy officer Allen Schindler, addresses the demonstration protesting the ban on gays in the military, accompanied by sailor Allen Pemberton, holding up a photo of her son, and Navy veteran Jim Jennings.

[miilkybnn]

y’all know that one audition tape Neil did? Yeah, so anyways make it Soap

[luciality]

hey yeah sorry about your boyfriend. yeah i spun him into yarn, sorry. he was really soft and easy to work with. if you want, i could make him into a sweater? that way you can still wear him. no? ok. sorry.

[banicraft]

parrots Pigeons :D

[unboundprompts]

diferent ways to describe the fear of something?

Different Ways to Describe Fear

Symptoms of Fear:

accelerated breathing

accelerated heart rate

goosebumps

sweating

sleep disturbance

butterflies in stomach

dizziness

Body Language Responses to Fear:

hunching shoulders

shrinking away

wide eyes

shaking / trembling

freezing

wrapping arms around themselves

shaking hands

Writing Prompts:

-> feel free to edit and adjust pronouns as you see fit.

She pressed a trembling hand to her chest as if that would do anything to slow her racing heart.

His eyes were crazed, darting around to look at the shadows of the room.

Their limbs felt like jelly, afraid that they would collapse at any moment.

She was utterly frozen. Her body cut all communication with her mind, and no matter how much her brain screamed for her to run she was immobilized in terror.

He had a tight knot forming in his stomach.

They couldn't breathe. They were totally suffocated by fear and it felt like a heavy weight was pressing down on their chest.

Dread clouded her thinking. She walked around like she was in a daze, relying solely on muscle memory to get her down the hallway.

His hands were trembling so badly that he couldn't do anything and his terror made it impossible to focus.

Their throat was dry. No matter how many times they swallowed it did nothing to relieve the uncomfortable feeling.

The salty taste of fear lingered on her lips.

His muscles screamed at him to leave, but he couldn't bring himself to move. He stared forwards hauntingly.

They ran. They ran faster than their legs had ever carried them, adrenaline taking over all of their senses. It felt like they were being chased, but there was no way for them to know for certain. They were too afraid to turn around.

It felt like her heart was about to burst from her ribcage.

[willowser]

i think katsuki just answers his phone by barking out, "bakugou." no hello, probably doesn't even look at the caller id LOL when he hears it's you, though, i think he breathes out the tension he didn't realize was coiled in his shoulders, and says a lil, "hey," 🥺🥺

and i think when he calls you, and you answer with your sweet, "helloooo ??" he is so soft 😌 just mumbles out a quiet, "what'chu doin'?" and listens as you tell him, before saying what he needed to 😌

[haute-lifestyle-com]

The Inspection Review - Gritty, Uncompromising, A must See! #janetwalker #hautelifestylecom #theentertainmentzonecom #filmreview #military #dontaskdonttell

https://www.haute-lifestyle.com/168-haute-this-issue/6153-the-inspection-review-poignant-debut-film-gritty-and-honest.html

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

i have a Scene - a Plot if you will - that backs this as context. y'all are gonna have to trust me on this one <3 or read the tags...