At long last, President Obama is taking action on his campaign promise to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.  On Tuesday, February 2 he and Joint Chiefs chairman Admiral Mike  Mullen will appear before Congress and reveal the plan they have for fully integrating homosexuals into the armed forces.  The president is expected to issue an executive order halting the dismissal of service members who are gay when they are outed by a third party.

What does this have to do with straight spouses?

It means that those of us who are married to closeted homosexuals serving in the armed forces no longer need to ignore our own needs for counseling, disclosure, or medical testing for fear of the secret being discovered.  For families of closeted service members, disclosure means losing valuable income and benefits.  It means that a straight spouse cannot be blamed for ruining their spouse’s career and the family finances if they get help for themselves.

Oh good.  After tomorrow, we can talk.  About ourselves.  About our families.
Is Congress listening?  Maybe, we’ll see.

The Straight Spouse Network is the pre-eminent support group in the entire world for heterosexual husbands,  wives, and ex spouses of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered people.  Like it or not, we are family.  We are a peer to peer support group that functions in complete confidentiality.  We also are a resource for counselors and therapists who work with families to resolve the issues that are presented when a closeted spouse comes out, or when a straight spouse discovers that their husband or wife has a same sex attraction.

In the days ahead, the straight spouses and families of closeted members of the military will be needing help to make the adjustment to life outside the closet.  The Straight Spouse Network is here to provide that direct assistance to them, and to be resource for those family services professionals who will be working with them.