Good day all people.
Today is a difficult day for me. A got fired because I am Gay. Yes, it is true and hears is the story . . .
I am in the Military in South Africa. I was studying at the Military Academy. Our Military Academy is not like the US, it is more a university for Military Officers. Like a normal university we have first years ,second years, and so on until fourth and final year. We are also part of a civilian university. This makes us a faculty of that university called the faculty of military science. So we are basically students, but falls under the military discipline code. Now because you are part of the university you can enrol for other subjects, but at your own expense, the military only pays for the subjects they select.
Now our military are not allowed to discriminate against people on basis of their sexual orientation. It is in the constitution of this country. This is the background of the story.
I am a final year student now, and part of my responsibilities is to help younger new students, to incorporate military duties and life in to their student life. As I was the only Gay (very much in the closet) at the military academy that I know of, I joined the university gay student organization for support and guidens. It was called LesBiGay. It went well. But one night, a first year student came to me, all beaten up. He was really badly injured, very bad. So I immediately took him to the emergency room. He had a fractured arm and rib with several cuts and broses. We started talking and suddenly he burst into tears and told me he was gay. He did not know I was. Some of the other students saw him kiss another guy and they chased him and beaten him up. They told him they don’t want fags in the army. It was really sad. I first decided to help him before I am going to tell him about me, not to complicate things for him.
As I am an officer and he is still a candidate officer, I know that he won’t be able to do something. I started to peruse the matter to find the students that did this. They are in the military so I could charge them and send them to a court-martial and be prosecuted according to the law. I did that keeping his name confidential. I could not find the culprits, so I decided to create a support group at the academy to help with situations like this and to give advice; we had access to the university psychologists and also the military psychologists. I did not tell anyone that I was gay, but they did know that I supported gay rights and that I am starting this support group. It was going well, I got a few members and the names were kept secret.
But my young friend was not so lucky, he was really abused, not physically but socially and psychologically he was ruined. I really tried to help him; I also eventually told him that I was gay to. I thought it helped but it did not, his grades went down, somebody told his father and his father told him that he is not allowed ever in their house again and that he is not part of the family again. To make matters worse some of the senior officers found out and gave him hell.
He committed suicide two weeks ago.
Today I was informed that because I did not disclose his sexual orientation to the commander and also not mine (how they found out I do not know), I was withholding information, because it is my duty to report as an officer if someone is conducting himself unbecoming as an officer. I was also told my conduct is not that of an officer – me being gay- and now I am dismissed from the army.
Now I am without a job. I am going to court to fight this but where do I get the money? I am only 23, were must I get the money. I was also doing other courses so I am paying a study loan as well. I won’t make it one month. I was a soldier; I thought I was fighting for something that was right. What must I do now, go to the streets?
Life is just shit, you try to do something good, and you get punished. Where am I going to get that money? There are other people, how must I help them now?
If there is anyone that could give me some advice, please let me know!!!
Today is a difficult day for me. A got fired because I am Gay. Yes, it is true and hears is the story . . .
I am in the Military in South Africa. I was studying at the Military Academy. Our Military Academy is not like the US, it is more a university for Military Officers. Like a normal university we have first years ,second years, and so on until fourth and final year. We are also part of a civilian university. This makes us a faculty of that university called the faculty of military science. So we are basically students, but falls under the military discipline code. Now because you are part of the university you can enrol for other subjects, but at your own expense, the military only pays for the subjects they select.
Now our military are not allowed to discriminate against people on basis of their sexual orientation. It is in the constitution of this country. This is the background of the story.
I am a final year student now, and part of my responsibilities is to help younger new students, to incorporate military duties and life in to their student life. As I was the only Gay (very much in the closet) at the military academy that I know of, I joined the university gay student organization for support and guidens. It was called LesBiGay. It went well. But one night, a first year student came to me, all beaten up. He was really badly injured, very bad. So I immediately took him to the emergency room. He had a fractured arm and rib with several cuts and broses. We started talking and suddenly he burst into tears and told me he was gay. He did not know I was. Some of the other students saw him kiss another guy and they chased him and beaten him up. They told him they don’t want fags in the army. It was really sad. I first decided to help him before I am going to tell him about me, not to complicate things for him.
As I am an officer and he is still a candidate officer, I know that he won’t be able to do something. I started to peruse the matter to find the students that did this. They are in the military so I could charge them and send them to a court-martial and be prosecuted according to the law. I did that keeping his name confidential. I could not find the culprits, so I decided to create a support group at the academy to help with situations like this and to give advice; we had access to the university psychologists and also the military psychologists. I did not tell anyone that I was gay, but they did know that I supported gay rights and that I am starting this support group. It was going well, I got a few members and the names were kept secret.
But my young friend was not so lucky, he was really abused, not physically but socially and psychologically he was ruined. I really tried to help him; I also eventually told him that I was gay to. I thought it helped but it did not, his grades went down, somebody told his father and his father told him that he is not allowed ever in their house again and that he is not part of the family again. To make matters worse some of the senior officers found out and gave him hell.
He committed suicide two weeks ago.
Today I was informed that because I did not disclose his sexual orientation to the commander and also not mine (how they found out I do not know), I was withholding information, because it is my duty to report as an officer if someone is conducting himself unbecoming as an officer. I was also told my conduct is not that of an officer – me being gay- and now I am dismissed from the army.
Now I am without a job. I am going to court to fight this but where do I get the money? I am only 23, were must I get the money. I was also doing other courses so I am paying a study loan as well. I won’t make it one month. I was a soldier; I thought I was fighting for something that was right. What must I do now, go to the streets?
Life is just shit, you try to do something good, and you get punished. Where am I going to get that money? There are other people, how must I help them now?
If there is anyone that could give me some advice, please let me know!!!
En dat die bliksems nog die arrogansie het om jou te fire! 
