Veteran encourages acceptance in time of change
“We are one country and one people and the things that unite us are far greater than the things that divide us,” said openly gay Iraqi war veteran Gary Barkley at a speech given Tuesday in the TSC Auditorium.
Barkley, who is a USU alumnus, said he wants to promote the message of acceptance in a time of change as part of the Diversity Week activities.
Chase Skidmore, ASUSU campus diversity vice president, said recognizing the gay community was an important element in this year’s Diversity Week.
“A lot of times we equate diversity with skin color,” Skidmore said, “but we wanted every group to have equal representation and that’s why we are glad to have (Barkley) come speak.”
After resigning from the U.S. Army in 2001, Barkley said he got a call four years later to serve in Iraq. The call came as a surprise, but after learning that his resignation papers had not been filed yet, Barkley said he decided to go fight for his country.
“The deployment was so out of whack for me,” Barkley said, “but because the army is so broken today, they’ll take anyone.”
Barkley said many challenges awaited him once he arrived, including living in condemned quarters where the water would “turn brown for about 10 seconds after you turned it on” and trying to hide that fact that he was gay.
Despite the daily struggle to stay true to himself while not exposing his sexuality, Barkley said the Army has come a long way in regards to accepting gay officers.
“The only thing they care if you do straight is shoot,” Barkley said.
Barkley, who grew up in Price, Utah, said living in a small caused him to be afraid of being different, so he hid the fact that he was gay early on.
“When I was 16 I realized the implications of being gay and when I was 18 I went back in the closet,” Barkley said. “Then I went and got married. That’s the Utah standard.”
Barkley said he eventually became comfortable with who he was and came out as a gay man. The subsequent divorce from his wife is the main reason Barkley said he decided to join the Army.
“I needed an escape,” Barkley said. “I had always wanted to join the Army and ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ allowed me to do that.”
Barkley said with the introduction of a policy allowing gay citizens to not be questioned about their sexuality when joining the Army, comes a new way of thinking.
“When we talk about diversity now, we talk about gays in the military and a president who is bi-racial,” Barkley said. “We have come a long way.”
Although Barkley said the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is what enabled him to join the Army, he is hopeful there will come a time when it is no longer necessary. While in Iraq, Barkley said what he saw changed his mind about the effectiveness of the policy. Barkley said for those who want to be open about who they are while serving in the Army, the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was actually a hindrance.
“Really, the ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy is keeping people from doing their jobs,” Barkley said.
After returning from Iraq, Barkley wrote “Shared Sacrifice: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Global War on Terror” about his experience in Iraq and the change he said is necessary to solve America’s problems. Among these problems, Barkley said, is the lack of unity between American citizens of all gender, race, class and sexuality.
“We need to keep the fire burning,” Barkley said. “Share the sacrifice here at home, be ready to give up all things for your fellow man … we are all in this together.
Although Barkley said he does not have all the answers, he thinks two essential remedies are less governmental control and more recognition of equal rights.
“We need to go back to the Constitution and what it stands for,” Barkley said, “freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We also need to just celebrate diversity and realize if what I do doesn’t affect you, I should be allowed to do it.”
Barkley said in order to make a change, it’s essential to get out of the comfort zone.
“You don’t have to shout to be heard,” Barkley said.
However, Barkley said not speaking out could be detrimental to the acceptance of diversity.
“It’s not so much about just being tolerant of others,” Barkley said, “it’s about engaging yourself. It’s going to take every unique voice to be heard, so speak up.”
–amanda.m@aggiemail.usu.edu