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August 23, 2006

Right to Serve takes its military protest to Oklahoma

Michael Cich will tell the U.S. military he is gay when he attempts to enlist Wednesday at an Oklahoma City, Okla., recruiting station, despite the military's ban on openly gay service members. Cich's action is part of a national effort by the group Soulforce in its ongoing Right to Serve campaign, which encourages out gay men and lesbians to try to enlist in the military, local television station KOTV reports.

"We're not going in there banging drums, we're not going in there carrying banners," Cich told KOTV. "We're going in just like any other recruit would, except the only difference is, we're going in there completely honest, saying I'm gay, I want to serve in the military, what do I need to do to make that happen?"

Cich's family has a long record of military service. His grandfather served in the Army, and his father served in Vietnam. His twin brother, who is straight, will also try to enlist this Wednesday, apparently in solidarity.

"I have a friend who was in the military who wanted to put in 20 years of service, but after five years, he was like, 'That's enough, I can't take it. It's too much pressure. It's too much hiding,'" Cich said. "If people don't think there are gay people serving with them now, they're lying  to themselves, because I have lots of friends in the military who are gay who aren't choosing to be out because they wanted to be in the service." (The Advocate)

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