May 2014 – Since the repeal of the U.S. military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in September 2011, homosexuals in the military have become more open about their sexuality.
On March 1 at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, six military personnel − gay, lesbian and straight − donned makeup and dresses to lip sync songs such as “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” The event was a fundraiser for the recently formed Okinawa chapter of OutServe, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the largest nonprofit advocate for the military’s LGBT community. About 400 tickets were sold for the event.
Performers took stage names such as Chocolate Sunrise and Artemis Faux. The sole lesbian performer took the drag king name Manny Nuff.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” was the official U. S. policy on homosexuals serving in the military. It was instituted by the Clinton Administration in 1994. The policy barred openly homosexual persons from military service, but prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexuals.
