“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Fails GW Navy ROTC Member was originally published on The Sexist on Feb. 12, 2009, at 10:11 am
According to the G.W. student newspaper the Hatchet, freshman Todd Belok was dismissed from the Navy ROTC program after his fellow midshipmen learned that he was gay. Belok didn’t explicitly inform the Navy that he was gay, but after he was observed kissing “another male” at a fraternity party, Belok was “officially dismissed from the program in December,” the Hatchet writes.
On September 13, 2008, Belok attended a party at Beta Theta Pi, a fraternity which he later pledged, when two other midshipmen [MIDN], Dave Perry and Squad Leader Nick Trimis, said they saw Belok kiss another male on the lips.
“In the basement of Beta Theta Pi, MIDN Belok introduced me to another male, who he referred to as his ’special friend,’ ” Trimis wrote in the Performance Review Board report. “Within five minutes of this introduction, I witnessed MIDN Belok kissing this individual on the lips. I decided I needed to leave after this encounter.”
Belok says he’s still determined to become a Navy officer—after “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed. Belok has, however, now pledged Beta Theta Pi.
