It’s come to this. US Army General Randy Taylor has now come out of the foot locker and announced he is gay. Not only that but at a Pentagon-sponsored gay pride event he also introduced his “husband” to the world.
The event kicked off with a song from a gay choir, so we have that going for us, which is nice.
A married Army general on Tuesday introduced his spouse at a Pentagon event that featured lots of top brass, including Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as the keynote speaker.
What made this seemingly routine introduction noteworthy is that Brig. Gen. Randy S. Taylor introduced his husband, Lucas.
“My husband Lucas is sitting up front here,” Gen. Taylor said of the man in the same row as Mr. Carter, Army Secretary John McHugh and other senior officials. He said Lucas has subjugated his own career to support the general’s frequent moves over an 18-year relationship.
“We bet everything on my Army career,” said Gen. Taylor, whose 27 years of service spanned an outright ban on gays, then “don’t ask, don’t tell” and finally, the ban’s lifting in 2011.
Gen. Taylor was the master of ceremonies for the Pentagon’s 4th Gay Pride celebration that showcases a month of gay-themed posters and history.
We’ve gone from “don’t ask, don’t tell,” to “tell when we didn’t even ask.”
I don’t want to celebrate gays in the military. I want to celebrate heroes in the military. Their being gay does not make them notable. Being brave in the face of fire does.