Bigoted emails from Army recruiter outrage gay man

[Tock]

Sorta sounds like this place does from time to time (not so much lately, though)
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Bigoted emails from Army recruiter outrage gay man

http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/jers...830.xml&coll=3

Monday, March 26, 2007
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Jersey City resident Corey Andrew, like thousands of other job seekers, recently posted his profile on a popular career-based web site, hoping to nab some work as a copywriter. But the response he received was anything but typical.

The posting on CareerBuilder.com brought several potential suitors, including an Army recruiter who replied in late February.

However, Andrew had no interest in joining the Army for a number of reasons, including the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian citizens from putting on the uniform. Andrew identifies himself as gay.

His lack of interest didn't stop him from asking the recruiter whether he was able to serve in the Army as a gay man. The question sparked a bizarre three-day exchange, escalating into a bigoted tirade from the recruiter and an official military investigation.

Using a military email address, U.S. Army recruiter Sgt. Marcia Ramode fired off an email in capital letters that " IF YOU ARE GAY WE DON'T TAKE YOU. YOU ARE CONSIDERED UNQUALIFIED."

After more prodding from Andrew on the Army's recruitment policy, the messages escalated into a bigoted tirade. For example, Ramode told Andrew that "being gay is disgusting and immoral."

In a separate email, Ramode wrote, "You must be a total idiot and so stupid to presume that you do not know what gender you are." Ramode added that Andrew should be more grateful to the military for defending his freedoms, but that as a gay man "he should leave the United States."

The insults were not only flying one way, as Andrew criticized her vocabulary and poor spelling and, after finding out she was a Native American, wrote:

"So take that to your next rain dance."

Ramode didn't limit her email attacks to insults about Andrew's sexual preferences.

Andrew, who is black, criticized Ramode's word choices and poor spelling. In response, the apparently enraged sergeant said in graphic language that Andrew should "GO BACK TO AFRICA AND DO YOUR GAY VOODOO LIMBO TANGO AND WANGO DANCE AND JUMP AROUND AND PRANCE AND RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE HALF NAKED THERE."

The U.S. Army Recruiting Command's Staff Judge Advocate has referred the email exchange to Ramode's commander for "review, investigation and appropriate action," Sgt. Douglas Smith, a public affairs officer based Fort Knox, Texas, said in a statement.

Under the Department of Defense's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, recruiters do not ask applicants any questions about their sexual orientation.

"If an applicant makes a statement that he or she is homosexual, the recruiter must inform the applicant in a professional manner that they are not eligible for enlistment," the statement said.

Andrew, who is also a singer-songwriter and has worked for New York's advertising giant Young & Rubicam, said he thinks the Army contacted him because the Iraq war has made it harder to recruit.

Steve Ralls, a director of communications for the Service Members Legal Defense Network, which helps victims of discrimination under the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, says Ramode should be fired.

"The recruiter's remarks were outrageous and offensive in almost every way," Ralls said. "Anti-gay harassment throughout the military is well documented but this is particularly egregious because the recruiter's language is so homophobic and racist."

Ralls is relieved the Army appears to be taking the email exchange seriously.

"The command expects its recruiters to conduct themselves in a professional manner in all dealings with potential applicants and members of the public," said Smith of the Army. "We are ambassadors for America's Army."

Ramode did not return phone calls seeking comment.




================================================== ==
Here's some of the email exchange

http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/jers...830.xml&coll=3

Monday, March 26, 2007
Here's some of the email exchange between Corey Andrew of Jersey City and Sgt. Marcia Ramode on Feb. 27 and March 1 as provided to The Jersey Journal by Andrew. Misspellings, capital letters and grammatical errors are as they appear in the emails:

Sgt. Ramode: My name is Marcia Ramode, and I am United States Army recruiter. I saw your resume on career builder and we have lots of vacant positions in Logistics, Administration...If interested please give me a call at my toll free number.

Andrew: Awesome! Sounds great! The US Military has so many vacant positions and opportunities. I had no idea. I'm seriously considering contacting you. One thing, I'm not up on current politics but since its 2007, I would imagine also that I am now able to serve in the US military as an openly gay man, right?

Ramode: WELL IF YOU ARE GAY WE DON'T TAKE YOU. YOU ARE CONSIDERED UNQUALIFIED.

Andrew: Wow! Unqualified to serve my country just because I'm gay? It's because they think I might all of a sudden desire one last kiss from my fellow male solider if ever facing death at the hands of the enemy in a fox hole, isn't?... Funny, the US Government doesn't mind taking my "gay" dollars every tax season or out of my paycheck every two weeks. I'm stunned that the US ARMY could afford to be so choosey when I see sergeants on my school campus and in the local shopping Mall...begging teenagers to enlist.

Ramode: YOU ARE DEFINITELY UNQUALIFIED, NOW TAKE YOU GAY SELF SOMEPLACE ELSE WE DO NOT TOLERATE GAY PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN ANY PART OF THE MILITARY. AND IF IT BOTHERS YOU PAYING TAXES THEN MIGRATE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY.... AND IF IT BOTHERS YOU ABOUT THE US MILITARY RECRUITING THEN YOU GO TELL THE BOARD OF EDUCATION .... AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE RECRUITERS RECRUITING IN FRONT YOU HIGH SCHOOL THEN COMPLAIN TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR BETTER YET TRY COMPLAINING TO MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND SEE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY... YOU SHOULD SAY THANK YOU MILITARY PEOPLE FOR WHAT YOU DO SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE A FREE LIFE IN THIS COUNTRY. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

Andrew: Before you go on waving your flag all over the place let me first inform you, that as an African American who's ancestry is most likely MORE deeply rooted in American history than yours ever will be...I respect the millions of soldiers fighting to protect my rights every day but just so you know, those rights include me being gay... I applaud servicemen and women everyday for their role in our country's protection. However, for you and the government to deem homosexuals "unqualified" to risk their own lives and defend their own freedom as well as their country's freedom, is moronic.

Ramode: OH I FORGOT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YES YOU MIGHT TO TRY TO KISS A SOLDIER IN THE FOXHOLE SO THAT IS A NO NO.

Andrew: You are living proof that "Don't Ask Don't tell" is a fallacy. You initially rejected me without any consideration whatsoever of my integrity, or abilities. This behavior is at the very core of the discrimination that has plagued the USA for decades. You should know that I never had any intention of joining the military; I simply wanted to have this discussion to prove a point. With over 2,500 cases of anti-gay harassment acts against gay soldiers, including bashings and murders, for you to say the US Military only takes "straights" is delusional.

Ramode: YOU HEAD OFF TO THE GAY LAND OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO MORALS AND GET RID OF YOURSELF. PERSONALLY I THINK BEING GAY IS DISGUSTING AND IMMORAL.... AS AN AFRICAN HAVE NO PLACE TO SAY YOUR ROOTS ARE DEEPLY ROOTED HERE. MY ROOTS ARE MUCH STRONGER THAN YOURS. YOU WERE BROUGHT HERE BEING YOUR WILL POWER WHEREAS MY ROOTS RUN FROM THE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN. I HAVE MORE RIGHTS HERE THAN YOU AND MY ROOTS HAVE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE BEFORE THE AMERICAS WERE DISCOVERED...YOU TAKE YOUR GAY A-- OFF SOMEPLACE AND GO TO SOME OTHER COUNTRY AND BADMOUTH THE MILITARY...TAKE YOUR A-- BACK WHERE YOU BELONG NOT HERE.

Andrew: Clearly with your limited vocabulary and poor spelling, the Army mayhave been the only option YOU had in life. Granted, there are highly intellectual people in the military. You're just not one of them. ...Native American history you are so proud of and research their position on homosexuality. They are very tolerant and accepting of homosexuals believing that the inner spirit is true to itself in its nature. They are less tolerant of fools than they are of homosexuals. So take that to your next rain dance.

Ramode: YOU GO BACK TO AFRICA AND DO YOUR GAY VOODOO LIMBO TANGO AND WANGO DANCE AND JUMP AROUND AND PRANCE AND RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE HALF NAKED THERE AND PRACTICE YOUR GAY MORALS OVER THERE THAT'S WHERE YOU BELONG....I AM REPORTING YOU AS SPAM AND ADDING YOU TO MY BLOCK SENDER LIST SO I DO NOT HAVE TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN....

[Dude-Man]

I find this exchange highly amusing.

[alphaman]

Stop messing with Military recruiters, Tock.

[Logan13]

And.....
Since the Clinton administation, gays are allowed to serve if they so choose in the US military as long as they do not disclose that they are gay. One of the first statements from this person was "hey, i'm gay, but will you still take me". Common sense. Besides he sounds like a hard-up stroke.

[Tock]

And.....
Since the Clinton administation, gays are allowed to serve if they so choose in the US military as long as they do not disclose that they are gay.

So they say.


Truth is, if someone thinks you're gay and then they ask you if you're gay, and you say NO, well, if you're gay then you just lied, and they'll get ya for that. If you say yes, then they'll toss you out, because you said you were gay.

Yes, they aren't supposed to ask you, but they can, and they do. That's the REAL way it works.

Another way they can get ya is if your mom knows, and she tells someone who knows someone who knows a brother of a guy in the Army who's in your same unit, and word gets to him that you're gay. One day in the chowhall he blurts out, "Oh you're gay, aren't you?" and right then and there your military career is over.

That's the REAL way it works.


Truth is, though, that since this war started, the military has cut way back on the number of people they kick out for being gay -- seems gays are good enough in war time when it's time to get shot up, but not good enough in peace time.
And then when the war is over, they kick you out for being gay.


Ya, that's the way it REALLY works.

[spywizard]

Why did he "identify himself as homosexual"

i don't remember that question ever coming up in conversations...

I think he was just wanting attenion..

go figure..

[Tock]

One of the first statements from this person was "hey, i'm gay, but will you still take me". Common sense. Besides he sounds like a hard-up stroke.

So, if the US is being overrun by invaders (from where-ever), even though the regular forces are severely depleted, even though they're drafting everyone they can get their hands on between the ages of 17 and 70, even if the future of the nation is in the balance, they're gonna tell gay guys, "Sorry, but you're gay, and you don't meet the requirements!"

Meanwhile, the military lowers its standards so that even convicted felons can enlist, so that even 10th grade dropouts can enlist. But they'll kick out the few Arab-speaking soldiers they have because they are too fu----- frightened that one of them might look at their butt and think "Hmmmm."

That's stupid beyond words . . .

The US military is more frightened of gay people than it is of Al-Qaida. Something they're proud of, I'm sure.

[Tock]

i don't remember that question ever coming up in conversations...

Well, it is a part of the induction process. If you get an invite to join the military and you're gay, if you've not been following trends in the Pentagon's hiring policy, you'll probably want to have that point made clear.

For any other job in the USA, if someone asks you to go work for them, and then they say, "No, I don't want you after all because you're gay," well, that's pretty ignorant.

There's no other way to explain the situation. It's simply plain ignorant.

I think he was just wanting attenion..

He makes a good point, regardless.

The military is desperate for more people, and they've got the gall to say to him, "Sorry, but you're not good enough to shoot those terrorists because you're GAY GAY GAY," doesn't that make you wonder just what kind of idiots are running that war?