By Catherine Durkin Robinson
PoHo contributor
Catherine Durkin Robinson is a “feminist mother of twins” and a political blogger, working under the title Out in Left Field.

Keith Meinhold is one of many decorated veterans who can no longer serve his country … because he’s gay.

His story:

My fellow Floridian,

I served as an aircrew instructor aboard the Navy’s P-3C Orion aircraft and flew combat missions throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Persian Gulf.

Despite being rated in the top ten percent of all Navy instructors I was kicked out of the Navy after coming out on a national news broadcast as part of an effort to stop a witch hunt against other gay, lesbian and bisexual service members.

I’m writing to you today because together we have a unique opportunity to right a wrong.

Please sign our letter to the Florida congressional delegation urging them to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law bans gays, lesbians and bisexuals from serving openly in the U.S. military. Because of this law, more than 13,000 dedicated military personnel have had their careers taken away, their dignity dragged through the mud and their families torn apart. These discharges have included Arabic linguists, pilots, medics and others that held critical skill sets vital to our national security.

Please sign our letter to the Florida congressional delegation urging them to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Every day we are getting closer to the 218 co-sponsors needed to pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1283 in the U.S. House of Representatives) and repeal this backward law. With 168 co-sponsors as of today, we are just 50 short of the mark. With your help we can meet our objective over the next 60 days, and have a real shot at getting a vote this year.

As a Floridian, I am proud to report that today there is real momentum for repeal right here in our state. Nine members of Florida’s congressional delegation ranging from Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Miami) to Democrat Kathy Castor (Tampa) have co-sponsored this historic legislation. And thanks to the hard work of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network city governments, the latest being Miami, are passing resolutions in support. Now, we need your help.

Please sign our letter to the Florida congressional delegation urging them to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Following my discharge a Federal court reinstated me into Navy where I served for another four years openly gay. It was the most rewarding four years of my career. My crew flew combat missions over the Persian Gulf and was recognized by the Navy as the most combat effective in the Pacific Fleet. I was also awarded the Navy Achievement Medal. I am the first openly gay man to retire from active duty with full military honors. With your support there will be many more.

Thank you in advance for your commitment to justice for every active duty military service member and veteran in the United States.

Yours in service,

Keith Meinhold
Petty Officer 1st Class, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Miami, Florida

“Don’t ask, Don’t Tell” don’t work. Removing effective soldiers and officers because they are a gay is not only wrong, it’s dangerous. We can’t afford to lose patriots like Meinhold – our country’s security is too important.

The sailor, August Provost, kept his private life quiet for the most part, but trusted that his friends knew, according to an interview with his partner in the San Diego Union-Tribune. His family had encouraged him to report the harassment to a supervisor. It’s not clear whether he did, or whether he even could have; admitting that he’d been harassed could have led to admission that he was gay, which is grounds for dismissal from the Navy. In an online article for San Diego’s Gay and Lesbian Times, the chair of the San Diego Human Relations Commission, openly gay City Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez (pictured right), refers to sources on the base that say the harassment was in fact gay-related and that Provost had been facing a possible discharge based on his sexual orientation.

Murray-Ramirez says there was a long delay between the murder and public release of information, noting that U.S. Congressman Bob Filner was on the base Tuesday and was not informed of the murder. The Human Relations Commission is calling for an investigation into whether this was a hate crime. Meanwhile, a “person of interest” is being held in custody. Read the full text of the Union-Tribune story after the break.

By Kristina Davis

Union-Tribune Staff Writer

Originally published 11:59 p.m. July 1, 2009, updated 8:30 a.m., July 2, 2009

CAMP PENDLETON — A person was being held in connection with the suspected homicide of a 29-year-old sailor who was found in a Camp Pendleton guard shack, Navy officials said yesterday.

The body of Seaman August Provost of Houston was discovered about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday on the western edge of the base, said Doug Sayers, a spokesman for Navy Region Southwest.

An autopsy was completed yesterday, but authorities were waiting for results of toxicology tests to determine the cause of death.

A “person of interest” was being held in the brig at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. No charges have been filed.

The death has local gay activists calling for an investigation into whether Provost was slain because of his sexual orientation. “We’re definitely monitoring this, and trust and hope the military will investigate this in the professional way it should,” said Nicole Murray-Ramirez, chairman of San Diego’s Human Rights Commission.

Murray-Ramirez said he had asked two San Diego members of Congress, Reps. Susan Davis and Bob Filner, to make official inquiries with the military.

Provost’s partner, Kaether Cordero, said Provost was openly gay but kept his private life quiet for the most part.

“People who he was friends with, I knew that they knew,” Cordero said from Houston. “He didn’t care that they knew. He trusted them.”

Provost had recently complained to family members about a person who was harassing him, so they advised him to tell his supervisor, said his sister, Akalia Provost of Houston.

“He’s the type that if someone comes at him, he walks away. He never stands and argues,” she said. “He didn’t deserve anything but a good life.”

Provost was assigned to Assault Craft Unit 5 at Camp Pendleton. He had completed three years of college before joining the Navy in March 2008 to help finance his education, and was studying to become an architectural engineer.