From that Stars & Stripes article that Queerty uses to reignite the “Which bill goes first?”/”Did Joe Solomonese lie?” discussion, there’s a different newsworthy note near the bottom of the article:
Yet Gates appears ready to send a signal on another front. He reportedly favors the nomination of an openly-gay man — William White — to the department’s new deputy chief management post. White has worked with the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.
This does not appear to be some “nothing” job. From the Office’s Web site:
The Deputy Chief Management Officer (DCMO) is the senior official responsible for assisting the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense, acting as the Chief Management Officer, effectively and efficiently organize the business operations of the Department of Defense. The Office of the DCMO supervises and oversees the Defense Business Transformation Agency and the DoD Performance Improvement Officer. The Office of the DCMO was established by Congress in the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act and stood-up within the Department of Defense on October 9, 2008.
I’ll be watching for this. Having an openly gay person in such a prominent position at Defense could make a world of difference — and now could be just the right time to add that voice into the discussion.
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Chris Geidner is the senior political writer at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
Its a small step, but certainly the right one. I’ve mentioned before that as right as it is to pass legislation providing true equality, legislation alone won’t change the culture of America or the military.
When it comes to DADT and gays in the military, I often look at other military inclusion issues such as women and other minorities. The incidences of sexual assualt, violence or other crimes against fellow soldiers still remains a problem and one based in the military culture and American culture at large.
Hopefully this move and others to follow will help change the culture in the military.