FOR THE 12 YEARS Jeff Cleghorn served in the U.S. Army, he also served in
the closet, hiding his sexual orientation. But since leaving the military,
Cleghorn has made helping other gay service members his life’s work.
When he left the Army in 1996 and enrolled in law school in Washington, D.C.,
Cleghorn contacted the Servicemembers’ Legal Defense Network, a watchdog organization
that provides legal services to those affected by the military’s "Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell" policy. He interned at SLDN while in law school, and went on to
serve as a full-time staff attorney and army liaison for the organization.
While at SLDN, Cleghorn represented hundreds of gay military personnel in
cases related to the DADT policy.
"It was very personal, very gratifying and rewarding work to help other gay
folk in the military, or who used to be," he says. "It’s also terribly important
for every member of the gay community, whether they’re in the military or not,
to support those who are."
A Georgia native, Cleghorn continued his activism on military issues after
moving back to his home state to practice law last year.
He became director of the Military Education Initiative, a national group
established last December to educate the more than 27 million U.S. military
veterans about gay soldiers past and present.
"Whatever their view of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is, we’ve got to approach
them touting our equal service, how we contribute to the broader veterans’ community,
and about our lives in general," Cleghorn says.
Now Cleghorn also wants to reach out to local gay veterans by forming an Atlanta
chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights, a national non-profit association.
An informal Feb. 7 cocktail and hors d’oeuvres social will serve as a forum
in which gay veterans and their allies can meet, discuss goals and register
their interest in volunteering for the organization, says Cleghorn, a regional
vice-president for AVER.
The chapter already has backing from local gay veterans.
"We need to support our brothers and sisters who are caught up in this [gay
ban] mess," says Floyd Taylor, who has worked with previous gay veteran groups
in Atlanta. "If we have a chapter here that they know exists, we can be a resource
for the people on active duty, or have been discharged for whatever reasons."
AVER WAS LAUNCHED in 1990 as the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Veterans of America
by six gay veterans who sought to improve conditions for gays in the armed
forces. The name was later changed to be more inclusive and better reflect
the goals of its members.
"Many vets come out of the military with the same typical emotional burdens
of those of us in the coming-out process," Cleghorn says. "But veterans especially
are compelled to represent themselves as heterosexual. To do otherwise means
discharge at best and imprisonment at worst."
As an Army major, Cleghorn served abroad and in the U.S, and later worked
for the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon prior to leaving the Army.
Although he wasn’t open about his sexual orientation then, Cleghorn now credits
his travels while in the Army with expanding his awareness of the diversity
of gays around the world, particularly those in the military.
AVER provides a support network for those military personnel and "there’s
also an advocacy component to the work," Cleghorn says.
At present, there are 15 AVER chapters which often march in Veterans’ Day
parades alongside their straight counterparts, hold memorial ceremonies in
veterans’ cemeteries and contact elected officials to speak out on treatment
of gay soldiers, Cleghorn says.
Nancy Russell, AVER national director, describes the group as a gay version
of the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars.
"The reality is those who are in Congress pay attention to numbers. If we
are to reach the numbers that would give us some political clout then we need
to establish membership around the country," she says.
Cleghorn’s military experience and advocacy work in gay veterans’ organizations
on the national level more than qualify him to establish an Atlanta AVER chapter,
Russell says.
"He is incredibly well versed in the problems of those in active duty," she
says. "Jeff has the leadership skills to do it, and we look forward to what
he’s going to be able to do."
Gay Veterans & Allies Cocktail Social
Feb. 7, 5-7 p.m.
Ansley Terrace Condominiums Community Room
1st Floor
175 15th St. NE
404-815-1363
mei@military-education.org
American Veterans for Equal Rights
www.aver.us
Military Education Initiative
1579 Monroe Drive, Suite F
Box #165
404-815-1363
www.military-education.org
