60 Minutes and Discharge
Manzella came out on American news program 60 Minutes in 2007. He became the first openly gay service member on active duty to speak to the press from a war zone. His decision to appear on the show resulted from his opposition to the Don't ask, don't tell policy, and his desire to build momentum for its removal. He believes that gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly. He said that due to the 60 Minutes interview he would likely be discharged. He was placed on block leave. He worked with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a gay military organization and lobby group. Manzella was discharged with full benefits in June 2008 for acknowledging that he was gay. The DADT policy was repealed in 2011.
Read more about this topic: Darren Manzella
Famous quotes containing the words minutes and/or discharge:
“The confusion is not my invention. We cannot listen to a conversation for five minutes without being aware of the confusion. It is all around us and our only chance now is to let it in. The only chance of renovation is to open our eyes and see the mess. It is not a mess you can make sense of.”
—Samuel Beckett (1906–1989)
“Gratitude among friends is like credit among tradesmen: it keeps business up, and maintains commerce. And we pay not because it is just to discharge our debts, but that we might the more easily find lenders on another occasion.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)