Recent Posts
  Has the Rainbow Flag Become Too Gay?
  Five Years Ago Today
  'Hate Crimes' Justice
  'Ex-Gay' in San Francisco
  Concerned Women for America: God's Army?
  ... and Lesbian Birds
  Sunday Read
  Merry Christmas!
  Bishop Cecil Riley on Homosexuality
  YMCA 'Restores Integrity' after Tranny Brawl
  Southern Baptists Struggle to 'Preserve Unity'
  Alabama State Rep. Gerald Allen Speaks
  Tafel on a Tear
  'Safe Space' Stickers Cross the Line
  Criminal Hate Speech
  HRC By The Numbers
  Rites of Passage
  What Would Jesus Do?
  Comments
  Equality In The States

Grantham Categories
  "W" is For Wackos  (40)
  2004 Debates  (32)
  Barnyard  (1)
  Campaign Madness  (41)
  Catastrophic Success  (33)
  Coming Out  (12)
  Email  (4)
  Equal Marriage Rights  (50)
  Exclusives  (17)
  Fact Check  (2)
  Flip-Flops  (11)
  For The Record  (51)
  Free Speech  (28)
  Fuzzy Math  (6)
  Gay Vague  (1)
  Gay Vote  (14)
  Internet Regulation  (1)
  Media  (49)
  Moral Majority  (61)
  Political Subterfuge  (38)
  Polls  (35)
  Scandal  (26)
  Sunday Read  (16)
  White House Press Briefing  (15)

Grantham Archives
  December 2004
  November 2004
  October 2004
  September 2004
  August 2004
  July 2004
  June 2004
  May 2004
  April 2004
  March 2004
  February 2004
  January 2004
  December 2003
  November 2003
  October 2003

Links

  Vote for this blog
  Blogroll Me!

op-ed
Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD.

  latest posts

EMAIL: Serving in Silence

October 22, 2004

Jean from Texas writes:

Hi Christian! I don't know any of the gay and lesbian soldiers currently serving in the war but I would REALLY like to send some care packages. Do you know how I might get some addresses to send the packages to? I've spent hours online and can't find any. It's frustrating because I really want to show my support. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can give me.

There are a couple of great sites online where you can speak with family and loved ones of gay and lesbian servicemembers serving in Iraq.

Gay Soldiers Partner Network - visit the forums and chat and inquire about care packages efforts here.

Military Community Services Network - the volunteer services most focused on here are "peer support" and "transition assistance." I have a call in to Tony Smith, who runs this effort, and will share what he suggests you explore.

It is reported that 65,000 gays and lesbians are serving in silence. The one thing that keeps our troops focused and resolute on the battlefield is a strong connection to their families at home. Soldiers speak openly of their families and bond with one another over photos and stories of their loved ones. This crucial element of support is denied gays and lesbians serving in Iraq by 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'

filed under: Email