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Coming soon to a military base newsstand: Magazine for gay soldiers

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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The U.S. military and its dealing with homosexuality dates all the way back to the Revolutionary War, when Gen. George Washington ordered Lt. Gotthold Frederick Enslin out of the Continental Army stating an “abhorrence and detestation of such infamous crimes,” after being found guilty of sodomy. But things have come a long way since then.

However last December, President Barack Obama signed the repeal of the Clinton era’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and that has cleared the way for gays to serve openly in the military. But with that has come something Washington likely never envisioned — a publication catered to currently-serving LGBT military members offered on military bases.

The magazine is launched by OutServe, a group that describes itself as an “underground network of over 2,900 LGBT military personnel,” and according to the group’s co-director, an active-duty Air Force officer who goes by the pseudonym JD Smith, one of the aims of the publication is to “let all the gay, lesbian, bi, and trans members currently serving know that they are not alone.”

The first edition of the magazine is available online and has a heavy focus on the repeal and its implementation. The first print edition will be available next month on newsstands at some military bases.

“Our goal is to have our next version available in print, at some of the larger military bases,” JD Smith said in a release. “Visibility is key. We are not about highlighting our differences, but demonstrating how LGBT troops are proud soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coasties, and Marines just like everyone else.”