I am gay and thinking of joining either the Navy reserve or National Guard?

Question

I would like to either join the navy reserve or national guard. I am in mid 20s and would like to join as an Officer. (have bachelor's and qualify according to age. height, weight).
I know of Dont ask..dont tell policy.

I would like to know from people who have served or are currently serving in the military, especially in Navy, national guard or reserves.

Is it a good idea to join? If so, which branch is more friendly? Please share your experience or advice. Thank you.

Answer 1

I'm currently serving on Active Duty (Navy), and I actually work in a pretty exclusive warfare community within it, so I'm speaking from experience. There are actually quite a few gays I know in my community, and this is a community that is actually placed under quite a bit of scrutiny.

I know of many homosexuals that serve in the Navy; if you do decide to join, you will notice that certain command climates will look the other way, other climates may not; most of the time, you will run into people who just look the other way. My last command, we had someone make a suicidal gesture (a friend of mine actually) who was upset that her girlfriend broke up with her. My command actually swept it under the rug, because she was an excellent Sailor.

If you join, you will survive; just as long as you keep it discreet, as in, do not admit you are gay, do not open that aspect with people you do not absolutely trust. This is more for the lines of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which you've stated you know about.

The Army, I have seen, is less tolerant of homosexuality. I've known more gays in the Navy than the Army, I must say. Now, you will run into people who like to bash homosexuals, etc., but as you know, you will run into that everywhere. Just keep your head held high, don't bite the bait - especially in the military. Once someone finds your weakness, they will keep on beating it until they break you.

Finally, the gays I knew in the Navy rolled together, they have their little tight-knit groups.

So, to sum up my answer - I personally believe the Navy is more friendly, due to my experiences and witnessing it first hand. If you excel in your duties, and be discreet about it, most people will look the other way, after all, many people view that as your business. My $0.02.

Answer 2

First of all, I think it depends on how "out" you are. If you don't broadcast your sexuality or conform to the typical "femme" stereotype, you should be fine no matter what branch you choose.

That being said, I don't have very much experience with the Navy, but I can say that in the National Guard it's kind of a gamble. Depending on where you live and what kind of unit you are assinged to, you may find that your fellow soldiers are tolerant or that they are homophobic. I've served with soldiers who I am all but sure were gay, and they seemed to get along just fine. Of course, they may have just been lucky.

Keep in mind that as a young officer, you will be highly scrutinized no matter what. As long as you remain professional and do not come across as a flaming queen, you can win the respect of your fellow soldiers/sailors. At times, this may require acting differently than you normally would or even evading certain questions and conversations. It's not fair, but that's just the way it is.

Answer 3

The Navy bootcamp is instructed by Marine Drill Sargents, and they will not be easy on you. As far as youre being homosexual, they will not ask you and you shouldnt think that you will be allowed to come out because you are an officer. I would join the National Guard if I were you since you seem to be worried about the "friendliness" of the service

Answer 4

Well it all depends on which branch of service you want to be in, Navy or Army. I would choose Army National Guard, you serve in the reserves and respond to natural disasters and state needs. I would think you would need to be near a port city to be in the Navy Reserve, the NG has units all over.

Answer 5

If you are choosing Navy because of the reputation of gays in the Navy then you best look to another service branch. It is a matter of misinformation that the Navy has a "rep" of having gays. The whole thing is a joke aimed at Teasing Sailors for being away at sea for long periods of time without women. There are no more gays in the navy than in any other branch of service. in facct while I was in the Navy there were two news Items concerning gays that stand out in my mind.

1. The murder of a gay sailor in Japan by his shipmates who discoverd he was gay.
(so navy is not necessarily the gay friendly service)

2. A gay porn ring that was busted at Camp Pendelton that was made up of about a dozen Marines.
(Gays in the military are not limited to Navy)

If you want to truely serve your country then do it. Just keep your personal life out of it

If you plan on joining then making some political soapbox out of it for "gay rights" then stay the FOXTROT out of the service.

It kind of reminds me of the girl who fought to get in to West Point (when women wern't allowed) and when she did get in she boo hooed and got out. she had no intention of completing West Point or serving her country as a Military Officer. She just wanted the political attention.

Again if you are serious about serving your country and not about making some "point" then shut the hell up about your sexual preferance and join up.

and good luck.

Answer 6

Yes it is a great idea to join, I have a really good friend who is a lesbian and she just graduated Marine basic, she did however have another chicks named tattoed on her arm and she caught hell for it but other than that she has had no problems, im navy so my advise would be go navy

Answer 7

Don't ask, don't tell. In your case you've messed up buddy; should've kept your mouth shut (no pun intended). There's no way a straight soldier, Marine, sailor, or aiman would take an order from a gay officer. Make your life easier, don't join; simple as that.

Answer 8

Sorry bud, you should stay out of any locker rooms of the same sex. It is not fair to straight people to have gays mix with them in locker rooms. If you go in the military you will need to go through officer training and I don't think the straight folk deserve to have someone oogling them. I was in the military (Air Force) and had a gay roommate. I had him move out when I found out he was gay. This was before the ask don't tell. The ask don't tell is just a pussy politically correct way of Clinton dancing around the subject. Best thing to do is keep it in the closet whatever you do.

Answer 9

Seriously, if you want to fight for a cause fight for the cause of becoming straight! Don't bother joining the military. People in general do NOT want to deal with it, esp living in close quarters like the military. Don't join.

Answer 10

The Navy offers better training and post-service employment opportunities, as long as you get into something like communications, electronics, avionics, or something well above torpedo launcher.