A Truly New Class: Gay Cadets Forge Path at Military Academies

Since childhood, Christine Tamayo has sought a true sense of purpose and leadership. "I've always wanted to help others," she says. So when she heard about West Point, the U.S. Military Academy, it all clicked.

"I have no military background, and I don't come from a military family," she says, "but I thought, Soldiers protect the nation. What better way to protect the nation and be selfless than to be a soldier?"

Four years ago Tamayo entered the academy and excelled in a rigorous course of academics, leadership training, and athletics. In May, she graduated as a lieutenant. But during her years at one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the nation, Tamayo had the added pressure of a secret struggle. While her peers at civilian colleges were free to question and explore their orientation, Tamayo was forced to embark on that personal journey in silence because of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that barred gays and lesbians from serving openly.

Three years ago, Tamayo began dating another female cadet she befriended. They're still together. But the lieutenant, fresh out of college, is still grappling with what it all means.

"Even now I'm not out to all of my classmates," she says. "I haven't told many of my friends about it. I'm not even sure if I identify with being lesbian or bisexual."

Though she had her girlfriend to lean on, Tamayo says she felt isolated during her time at West Point. A small group of students were out. Still, she feared being associated with them.

"We had counseling services there, but I was afraid to even do that because of 'don't ask, don't tell,'" Tamayo says.

With a new school year comes a new crop of cadets, but with the repeal of DADT, this will be the first time in history that high school graduates entering the handful of military academies across the country will be able to openly disclose that they are gay or lesbian. Meade Warthen, a spokesman for the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, says it is the academy's policy "to treat all members with dignity and respect, and to ensure the maintenance of good order and discipline." Warthen added that the academy would continue to recruit the best possible cadets, regardless of their sexual orientation.

The Air Force Academy, West Point, the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., and the hundreds of college Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs across the country have been adjusting in anticipation of the new policy pertaining to gay cadets. Many colleges and universities gave the cold shoulder to ROTC programs in opposition to the Vietnam War of the 1960s and 1970s, and later because "don't ask, don't tell" violated many of the colleges' internal antidiscrimination policies. Now that DADT has officially been lifted, students like University of California, Los Angeles, law school student Elizabeth Shirey are looking to the military for their careers and using ROTC as a means to achieve their goal.

When Shirey was earning her undergraduate degree at Wellesley College, there were only two students in the small women's liberal arts school's ROTC program. She had barely any interest in military affairs, and like Tamayo's, her family did not have a strong military background. But that all changed when the young go-getter interned with Congresswoman Doris Matsui from Sacramento. Matsui's involvement in veterans' affairs inspired Shirey to to intern with the Air Force's Judge Advocate General, or JAG program, in Washington, D.C., and then go on to work with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network as a national grassroots organizer. This fall she began law school at UCLA with plans to join ROTC and then pursue a career as a JAG.

Katie Miller was another top cadet at West Point when she very publicly left the academy to finish her education at Yale because of "don't ask, don't tell." The political science major told the Hartford Courantlast week that she initially lied to get around the policy, but the lies got out of control to the point where she couldn't recognize herself.

Miller said having the ability to speak out against the policy and to be truthful about her own identity has been freeing.

"It felt great having a political voice," she said. "I wasn't silent anymore. I could say what was on my mind."

Tamayo can relate to Miller's sentiment, especially as it affects female cadets.

"['Don't ask, don't tell'] was such a deep social issue, especially as a woman," Tamayo said. Only 12% of the cadets are women, a statistic that mirrors the rest of the military. "You just want to be known for your accomplishments, not for your gender or religion or the color of your hair. You just want to be known for your skills." And now, as an lieutenant with a keen interest in ethics, Tamayo is looking forward to teaching others to use their skills without compromising their identity.