By Melissa A. Wabnitz

Transcript Staff Writer

She should have been a shoo-in. Healthy, able-bodied, older than 18 and the granddaughter of a decorated Green Beret, Nichole Rawls is the ideal candidate for military service. At least, if she kept quiet about her sexual orientation.

Open to friends and family about her sexual orientation since she was 15 years old, Rawls said she never attempted to enter the military before because she knew about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

The policy was signed into federal law 13 years ago and bans openly gay, lesbian and bisexual persons from serving in the armed forces, said Pam Disel, Soulforce Oklahoma organizer. Currently around 65,000 closeted gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals are serving in the U.S. military, she said.

Wednesday, Rawls, with her grandmother Jacque Roberts and members of the organization Soulforce, entered the Army Recruitment Center hoping not just to fulfill a longtime wish to join the Army National Guard, but to prove a greater point: The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy discriminates against otherwise perfectly willing military service candidates.

“There are thousands of gays and lesbians already serving in the military,” Rawls said. “The way the policy is written, it just allows for discrimination and for so many service members to be kicked out, or discharged, for no reason, it doesn’t make sense. … I am not willing to hide who I am in order to serve.”

After making her case to the staff recruiter, Jim, Rawls got the answer she expected —a flat-out “no.” Instead of leaving, as have many other rejected candidates, Rawls took a different approach —she took a seat on the floor of the recruitment center, along with five Soulforce members.

Rawls’ actions Wednesday mirrored those of 22 activists in 30 cities across America since Soulforce’s “Right to Serve” campaign began in May.

Disel said reactions from recruiters have ranged from Wednesday’s rejection and order to leave by the Norman Police Department to locked doors in Philadelphia.

“We’re not giving up on this,” Disel said. “We may have left the recruiting offices, but it’s not over. We plan to get in touch with all of our congressional representatives here in Oklahoma.”

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, Disel said, is a house proposal that would replace “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and would “provide equality for all service members.”

“If this was signed into law, (Rawls’) orientation wouldn’t be an issue. … It’s been in the House a long time and none of our congressional representatives from Oklahoma have signed onto it,” she said. “Nichole is here to show them a perfect example of someone wanting to serve but not being able to and hopefully (lawmakers) will do the right thing and sign the Military Readiness Enhancement Act into law.”

For more information about Soulforce, an organization dedicated to ending political and religious oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, e-mail pam.disel@righttoserve.org or visit the Web site www.rightoserve.org.

Melissa A. Wabnitz