Judy Frey
Meantime, a mother whose son is gay and active duty has a much different take. She recently wrote an anonymous letter titled "A Mother in the Closet" to President Obama through the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which is she shared her dream that one day her son will be able to be open about his sexuality.
"The officers above him recognized his drive and his ability, and helped him to get into a military program that sent him back to finish college and then commissioned him as an officer," she says. "He is well on his way to becoming a military pilot. Not long from now, he'll earn his wings. But as I think about his life forced in the closet, it makes waiting for repeal another day that much harder. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' throws more than just service people into the closet; it throws moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, godparents, friends and loved ones in there as well.
"As a mom, my heart breaks for all the gay and lesbian 'kids' in the military, and for all the special people in their lives who live with us in the closet. I dream of the day when my son won't have to live in fear, even as he works to keep the rest of us from living in fear. Today, even in the closet, I dare to dream."
