Navy gays

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Veterans from all over have attended the town halls, including sailors from USS Constitution. And then you start hearing the homophobic remarks, and you then start hearing about this person being gay, and that person’s a you-know-what…It was really affecting me…I just had to do the best that I can to let it go and just try to distance myself from those people that would say those remarks.”

In 1993, while Santiago was stationed in Belgium, Congress enacted “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” At the time, Santiago considered the law “groundbreaking,” but it still required LGBTQIA+ service members to hide their sexual orientation.

It really brought me home. “But that thought was always in the back of my head; that if I’m with somebody, something happens, and they said, ‘Well, I’m going to report you to your commanding officer.’ Then there’s an issue there. This resilience carried through until the 2011 repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which allowed LGBTQ+ personnel to serve openly for the first time.

In recent years, the military—especially the Navy—has made visible strides towards LGBTQ+ inclusion.

During Pride Month, he controversially removed Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy vessel and opposed the promotion of the rear admiral who supported Daniels’ drag show. Key working group findings on repeal implementation are released.

22 December 2010. We finished our careers after 20 years with honor and distinction and sacrifice. It was at a duty station in Puerto Rico, where his family is from, that Santiago felt he “really started to come out to myself.” Being among family and friends in a familiar culture provided Santiago the support he needed to venture out and live authentically as himself.

It’s a moment he describes as “one of the most emotional things that happened to me.” Standing in front of the crew on Constitution’s spar deck, the first question he posed was, “How many people, if you’re comfortable, in here, right now, are part of the LGBTQ community?” Several crew members raised their hands. Are we done yet?

At the state level, Santiago is working with fellow Veteran Service Officers to align the Massachusetts state benefits with VA guidelines. Between long voyages, tight quarters, and the distinct uniform aesthetic (hello, stripes and flared trousers), it’s little wonder the branch is seen as a “queer powder keg.”

“In the navy, come on and join your fellow man!”

It’s not just about the numbers.

“It’s up to the leadership that’s in place,” Santiago asserts. Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth has pushed back against the Navy’s increasingly inclusive culture. “He supported whatever I wanted to do because he understood what I was going through in the military.”

At work, Santiago found strength in the camaraderie he experienced as part of Constitution’s crew.

The Defense Department released a new policy regarding service by individuals with gender dysphoria. (Naval History and Heritage Command)

Information was taken from the Naval History and Heritage Command. “I already knew that with [Commander Bullard] it wasn’t important that you were gay.

President Obama issues Proclamation No. 8387 for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.

2 March 2010. Washington, D.C., June 1992.
_{2 “H.R.2401 – 103rd Congress (1993-1994): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994.” November 30, 1993.}
_{3 Oral history interview with Robert Santiago, by the USS Constitution Museum, August 16, 2022.
Yes. But we still served. Where you can raise your hand and say that you’re gay in front of your commanding officer on board USS Constitution. But this is where we need to be at.}