National
Gay troops come out after demise of ‘Don’t Ask’
Troops no longer fear discharge under military’s gay ban
(from left) Jonathan Hopkins, Ty Walrod, Zac Mathews, Sarah Pezzat, Jonathan Mills and Josh Seefried.
Gay service members are beginning to make their sexual orientation known now that the 18-year-old law prohibiting open service known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has finally been lifted from the books.
Troops affiliated with OutServe, an organization of active duty LGBT military members, touted the importance of the change during a news conference Tuesday at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters in D.C.
1st Lt. Josh Seefried, a New Jersey-based finance director for the Air Force and OutServe’s co-founder and co-director, said being able to take part fully in the military family was particularly important to him.
“That’s what the military brags about so much is having that aspect of being part of the family, being part of the team,” Seefried said. “I almost resented the Air Force for not giving me that opportunity to be part of that team, not being able to bring someone to an event. Now I feel like I can go back to work and I can be part of that team now and actually be honest.”
Under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Seefried had gone by the alias J.D. Smith to avoid being expelled from military as he headed his 4,300-member LGBT organization. Now that the gay ban has been lifted, he’s free to be public with his real name as a gay airman.
Lt. Cmdr. Zac Matthews, a Coast Guard helicopter pilot who’s served on both U.S. coasts as well as the Alaska and Bering Sea, similarly said he feels like “part of the family again.”
“For so many years, it’s been my partner and I on the outside looking at service members and their spouses participating in social events, being part of a network, getting together after work and on the weekends,” Matthews said. “For the first time today, I feel as though we’re part of this big, at least in my case, a Coast Guard family — and that’s a big deal to me.”
In addition to participating in OutServe, Matthews chairs Service Academy Gay & Lesbian Alumni, or SAGALA, which encompasses members from all five service academies. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 2000.
Capt. Sarah Pezzat, a D.C.-based Marine Corps reservist who served in operations in Haiti, Iraq, and Somalia, said the end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” makes Tuesday feels markedly different than previous days.
“For me, it feels different to me because I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” Pezzat said. “I can post about it on Facebook, I can tell my co-workers if I want to what I did last weekend, things like that.
In 2007, Pezzat left active duty to become a police officer for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. This year, she volunteered for an active duty position in logistics at the Pentagon’s Marine Corps headquarters and is hoping to deploy again to Afghanistan.
Still, Pezzat said the demise of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” isn’t as significant for her straight counterparts. She said one of her colleagues mentioned to her that another service member came out after the ban was lifted, but she hadn’t heard anything else.
Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Mills, a D.C.-based radio frequency transmission technician for the Air Force, said the end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a “huge weight lifted” from his shoulders.
“Waking up this morning, I thought to myself no more do I have to constantly worry about ending my career because of this,” Mills said. “I don’t have to worry about lying to anyone and compromising. To me, there’s a fundamental difference.”
Mills is executive editor for OutServe Magazine. The latest edition of the online publication showcases 101 openly gay service members who have come out in the wake of the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Also present at the news conference was Jonathan Hopkins, who’s affiliated with OutServe, and Tyler Walrod, the civilian co-chair of OutServe. The only non-military member of the 4,300-large group, Walrod works on technology in San Francisco.
What do gay service members see as the next priority for the LGBT rights movement now that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is off the books. Those present at the HRC presser said they wanted to see action on partner benefits that would put gay troops on the same footing as the same footing as their straight counterparts.
Seefried said the No. 1 thing that people are concerned about in the U.S. military is partner because he said they’re “everything for us.”
“I’m in a military-military relationship and I’m set to move in the next seven months without a chance of having a joint spouse assignment,” Seefried said. “Those relationships just get torn apart. I think that that’s something most people in the military — everyone’s going to be affected.”
The Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage, prevents gay service members from obtaining certain partner benefits — such as health benefits. However, the Pentagon could take administrative action to enable other benefits, such as those related to housing and legal services.
Despite the change, Matthews said he doesn’t believe the focus of gay service members will change much beyond doing the jobs to which they’ve been assigned.
“I think there’s definitely going to be a lot of people in a good mood celebrating,” Matthews said. “I think that’s a given. But I think that the bottom line is we’re all professionals and we all know that we come to work to do our job; we don’t come to work to be gay. We just are gay. And the bottom line is: we’ve been taught to work as a team to accomplish the mission.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Matthews chairs a U.S. Merchant Marine Academy gay alumni group. The Washington Blade regrets the error.
Arizona
Shooting outside gay bar in Ariz. leaves three dead
Tucson police investigating double murder-suicide as a hate crime
Three people were fatally shot outside a gay bar in Tucson, Ariz., early Monday morning, about a mile from the city’s nightlife district.
Police have said the shooting, which took place in the parking lot of Venture-N bar at 1239 N. 6th Ave., was likely a hate crime and a double murder-suicide following a verbal altercation.
The suspect, Ousman Ceesay, allegedly shot Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara while they were outside the club around 12:30 a.m. Monday.
Reports show Capara and Siqueiros were pronounced dead at the scene. Ceesay died after being taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds.
Police have also said that Ceesay was carrying a list of LGBTQ businesses at the time of the shooting.
Arizona Public Media has said police are investigating the case as a hate crime because the suspect was carrying a note containing the names of multiple LGBTQ-associated businesses.
“I am deeply saddened that another senseless loss of life has happened in our community,” Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto said in a statement. “Bias-based crimes are especially heinous and have no place in our community.”
According to Prieto, there is no imminent threat to the community, and the Tucson Police Department is working to provide extra protection to various LGBTQ businesses across town.
Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, who represents the area, issued a statement condemning the act of violence, which appears to have been at least in part motivated by homophobia.
“I am disgusted and deeply saddened to learn of a targeted act of hate and the cold-blooded murder of two members of our LGBTQIA+ community, Vincent Siqueiros and Cameron Capara, at the Venture-N bar in Tucson last night. This horrific attack is a painful reminder that even in welcoming communities like Tucson, hate and violence against the LGBTQIA+ community still exist.”
“When that hate is combined with easy access to firearms, the consequences can be deadly. I am sick and tired of Congress refusing to lift a finger to protect our communities while, every day, dozens of people are shot and killed across the country. It does not have to be this way. The House of Representatives is returning to session this week, and our first action should be passing common-sense gun safety reforms that we know can save lives.”
Other federal lawmakers also condemned the shooting.
The Congressional Equality Caucus, which is made up of federal legislators advancing LGBTQ interests, issued a statement after news broke.
“Our hearts are with the friends and loved ones of the victims of this devastating attack outside a Tucson gay bar and with the Tucson LGBTQI+ community,” it said on X. “No one should fear violence because of who they are — and we’re going to continue fighting to build a world where no one does.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ organization in the country, released a statement following the shooting.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara and our hearts are with their families, loved ones, and the entire Tucson LGBTQ+ community. Once again, we are reminded that gun violence robs people of their lives, destroys families, and devastates communities.”
A candlelight vigil honoring the victims is planned for Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Catalina Park in North Tucson.
Congress
HRC president campaigns for Chris Pappas in NH
Gay congressman running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson on Sunday campaigned for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire.
Robinson traveled to Manchester, the state’s largest city, nine days before the Sept. 8 primary that will determine who will vie for retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)’s seat.
We’re hitting the pavement across New Hampshire to fight for a freer, fairer future for everyone.
Glad to have Human Rights Campaign President @KelleyJRobinson join us for a canvass launch in Manchester today. pic.twitter.com/XWCEaQxy4o
— Chris Pappas (@ChrisPappasNH) August 30, 2026
Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2009, will face off against former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 2010-2013, in the Republican primary.
Karishma Manzur is among the Democrats challenging Pappas.
A poll the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released on Aug. 26 shows Sununu is ahead of Brown. The same survey shows Pappas ahead of Manzur and his other Democratic challengers.
The UNH Survey Center poll shows Sununu ahead of Pappas by a 45-43 percent margin if they were to face off in the general election. The margin of error is +/-2.1 percent.
Pappas would become the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate if he were to win in November.
National
Milo Yiannopoulos deported to UK
ICE arrested far-right provocateur in New Orleans on Thursday
Editor’s note: The Department of Homeland Security on Saturday said Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported to the U.K.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday arrested far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
A DHS spokesperson in a statement sent to the Washington Blade said ICE arrested Yiannopoulos, who they described as “an illegal alien from the United Kingdom,” at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
The DHS spokesperson said Yiannopoulos “legally entered the country” in New York on May 14, 2019.
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” said the spokesperson.
The DHS spokesperson said an immigration judge on July 22 “issued a final order of removal” for Yiannopoulos “after failing to show up for his immigration hearing.” The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans on Friday reported Yiannopoulos is being held at an ICE detention center in Alexandria, La., which is about 200 miles northwest of the Crescent City.
“He will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” said the DHS spokesperson.
Yiannopoulos has, among other things, repeatedly targeted transgender people and Muslims.
The American Conservative Union, which organizes the annual Conversative Political Action Conference, in 2017 disinvited Yiannopoulos from speaking at that year’s CPAC after a video in which he appeared to condone sex between adults and underage boys emerged. Yiannopoulos subsequently resigned from Breitbart News, a far-right news website, where he had been a senior editor.
Yiannopoulos later that year married his boyfriend in Hawaii. The far-right provocateur in 2021 claimed he was an “ex-gay.”
The Australian government in 2019 banned Yiannopoulos from entering the country “on character grounds.” Yiannopoulos was also banned from Facebook, Twitter (now X), and other social media platforms.
The Times-Picayune reported Yiannopoulos “most recently worked for” Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
The controversial rapper is scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday.
Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist who is close to President Donald Trump, has called for Yiannopoulos’s deportation. Loomer on Friday wrote on X that she “reported him to ICE and the FBI” after he “called for me to be assassinated.”
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