They didn't directly say that they knew about everything that has been going on in the past few months. "I got a call the other day," Jess said, "from my Chief. And his emerging iconic status has been noticed by some with the power to take away his military life. Jess, or at least the photo of him, has become something of an icon for the life gay soldiers lead under the current policy. He says he has no regrets.īut at first, Jess did not bank on being the "cover boy," as Samuel puts it, or on having his photo in TIME magazine or in the New York Times, both of which have featured Jess' image. I think it feels dirty, more so than anything, like I am doing something wrong by being here or by getting my picture taken in a hotel room." It is not like the civilian world where somewhat of a gay and lesbian community comes around and helps everybody. Because we all have to hide it we can't tell each other. I think it represents a very lonely person who just wants to be open and honest. an image which has gotten more attention than he bargained for. ![]() Jess, whose hidden visage, in person, glows with warmth and familiarity, said he too sees that sense of seclusion in his image. It definitely is frustration, isolation." "That you are the only one who is gay in the military. "There was a sense of isolation," she said. Rae said she felt that the man on the cover was not just alone, but lonely. He is at once a paparazzi-chased celebrity, a scolded school boy sent to his room, and a modern Rodin's "Thinker." Sandy blond-red hair peeks out from his right hand, shielding his face. An all-American, chiseled Midwestern type sitting on the edge of a dark hotel room, curtains drawn. The cover image shows Jess in an airman uniform and combat boots. The person on that cover was "Jess." 'What's the Big Deal?' Because that is how you feel when you are not able to be who you are." The person on the cover is the same rank as I am.' And that picture just spoke volumes. "I looked at the cover first and I opened it and I said 'Oh my God. ![]() Rae decided to reach out to Sheng when she spotted his book on a colleague's desk. The fact that you see someone from the Air Force or the Army or the Marines who is willing to be a part of this project says a lot and it makes you feel that you are not the only one." Even if you take a photograph and the only thing we see are the rank insignias. Someone has to speak out even if your face is hidden. And I love the military and I love serving in the military and I hope to continue to do so. Rae said her participation in the project came from a desire to speak out in some way while still protecting the military life she loves. You stand out as a black person and then as a woman." 'Someone Has to Speak Out, Even if Your Face is Hidden' "I think you are definitely scrutinized a little bit more when you are a black woman in the military. "I know the consequences of being out, being gay, and being a person of color in the military," she said. ![]() She said this added to the isolation of experiencing life in the military as a minority twice over : as a black service member, and as a black female service member. Rae, who joined the service after having already come out of the closet to family and friends, found it particularly difficult to be forced back in because of her career.
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