How this story did not get more press is beyond me. A gay sailor in the US Navy endured over two years of physical abuse from his commanding officer and fellow sailors in Bahrain. He was bound to chairs, locked in cages filled with dog shit and forced to simulate oral sex.

Joseph Rocha landed in Bahrain as an 18-year-old to serve as a dog handler. In keeping with the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, he kept the fact he is gay a secret, but his fellow sailors found out anyway. How? Because he wouldn’t screw prostitutes.

The knowledge of Rocha’s sexuality paired with DADT enabled his fellow sailors to torment him and bribe him into silence. Rocha didn’t report his abuse. Doing so would reveal that he is gay and that would mean he could no longer serve his country.

Rocha eventually declared his homosexuality to the Navy after they investigated the abuse and failed to punish his commanding officer, instead charging Rocha’s best friend, Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia, for inadequately preventing the commanding officer from committing the abuse. She committed suicide in 2007, while the offending commanding officer has since been promoted.

The evidence is mounting that DADT harms our national security. However, it is also important to remind ourselves how the policy damages the individuals who choose to serve in the military despite it. It is absurd to hinge careers on how well people can lie about their sexuality. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” doesn’t mean people don’t know.

Photo from Flickr user Youth Radio under the Creative Commons License.