Katherine Miller Resigns From West Point, Starts ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Blog

Katherine Miller, a Cadet Second Class at the top of her class at West Point Military Academy, resigned from the military this week because she could no longer live under the repressive 'Don't Ask, Don’t Tell' (DADT) law. Miller is telling her story in an attempt to reveal the effects of this law, in her own words, the “magnitude of discrimination the policy condones.” Not wanting her ouster from the military to be in vain, Miller has taken steps to share her story, and the story of other lesbians at West Point, on a blog called Velvet Park, under the alias Private Second Class Citizen. Here are is an excerpt of her first post:

'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' prevents me from forming close personal bonds among my peers because I am unable to disclose my true identity. It forces me to create a nonexistent heterosexual dating history to avoid raising suspicions. It coerces me into ignoring derogatory comments toward homosexuals because I will be alienated for my unpopular viewpoint otherwise. And of course, it legally prevents me from falling in love with another woman.

The discrimination I have faced as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, an institution regarded as the pinnacle of leadership excellence, has exposed me to the harsh reality of ramped inequality in the military and in society. As a result of this epiphany, I have redirected my life from battling terrorists in the Middle East to combating hatred and intolerance domestically.

Her posts at Velvet Park went on to discuss the underground culture and network of support that lesbians at West Point have created. Her stories are important because they demonstrate how 'Don’t Ask Don’t Tell' replicates, within the military, a culture of repression. It reminds me of reading about gay subcultures from the first half of the 20th century; a good example is historian George Chauncey’s Gay New York, a book about the gay subcultures that thrived while hiding from the rest of New York.

As Miller details, lesbians at West Point aren’t exactly thriving; instead, they bond and exhibit the behavior of a suppressed minority. They develop their own lingo to talk to people. One commenter on Miller’s blog wrote about her own experience upon entering Basic Training. “I was amazed by the number of lesbians as well as the super stealth communications we had. I won't ever forget these unique women or the measures we took to endure the policy,” she wrote. DADT really does create a culture of repression that — if it weren’t for the military — would require a time machine to recreate in the United States. It’s heartening that the blogs and new media can be used to bring these stories into the open.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that Miller’s account of what it means to be gay a military academy is a death blow to the conservative logic used to rationalize DADT. As the National Review put it, the purpose of DADT was “to allow them to [serve] with a quiet dignity in keeping with the overriding need for discipline and good order in the ranks.” Well, a secret subculture to survive doesn’t sound like quiet dignity. Nor does living in constant fear of being outed. Nor does being forced to create a dating record and be intimate with others simply so no one will suspect you. The quiet is out of necessity, and it is dignity which has driven Miller out of the military. 

Pema Levy is a staff writer for Campus Progress.