Darren Manzella (August 8, 1977 – August 29, 2013) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

, Army medic and gay activist from

Portland, New York Portland is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,366 according to the 2020 census. The town is on the shore of Lake Erie southwest of Dunkirk. History The area was first settled in 1804. The town of Portl ...

, who was discharged under the

Don't ask, don't tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on December ...

policy.Military takes no action against gay medic from Chautauqua County
The Buffalo News, by Lindsey McPherson, January 4, 2008, retrieved January 4, 200860 Minutes with Darren Manzella
by Steve Ralls, December 13, 2007, retrieved February 4, 2008 Manzella served in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, and was stationed in

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...

.Soldier: Policy on Gays May Be Shifting
By Suzanna Gamoa, Associated Press, January 8, 2008, retrieved February 4, 2008

Early life

Manzella grew up on his parents' grape farm in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Chautauqua County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where he attended Brocton Central School.

Controversy

Manzella came out to his commander after rumors of his

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

surfaced in the form of threats to "turn the flame down." Manzella had at that point told his unit that he was gay and had introduced them to his boyfriend, A.J.Military Soft On Don't Ask, Don't Tell?
60 Minutes, December 16, 2007, retrieved February 4, 2008 No action was taken against Manzella due to the army's finding no evidence of his homosexuality in its investigation, which included a video provided by Manzella displaying passionate kissing between him and his boyfriend. The investigation concluded that he should return to work and he was told, "You're not gay" and that "proof of homosexuality" had not been found. During his service, he earned the Combat Medical Badge.

''60 Minutes'' and discharge

Manzella came out on American news program ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

'' in 2007,In and Out: Despite a national profile as an openly gay soldier, Uncle Sam still wants Sgt. Darren Manzella
Metro Weekly, by Will O'Bryan, March 6, 2008, retrieved March 13, 2008 the first openly gay service member on active duty to speak to the press from a war zone. His decision to appear on the show resulted from his opposition to the

policy and his desire to build momentum for ending it. He believed that gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly. He said that due to the ''60 Minutes'' interview he would likely be discharged. He was placed on block leave. He worked with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a gay military organization and lobby group. Manzella was discharged with full benefits in June 2008 for acknowledging that he was gay.Openly Gay Army Sergeant Discharged Under 'Don't ask, don't tell'
, FoxBusiness News, June 26, 2007, accessed June 27, 2008 The DADT policy was repealed in 2011. Immediately following the repeal of DADT, Manzella enlisted into the New York Army National Guard and was promoted and awarded for his meritorious service. In August 2011, Manzella returned to Rochester and began working as a health science specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He joined the reserves shortly before his death in 2013.

Personal life and death

Manzella married Javier Lapeira in Rochester on July 5, 2013. On August 29, 2013, Manzella was killed when an SUV hit him as he was in the act of pushing his disabled vehicle off the road in Pittsford,

Monroe County, New York Monroe County is a county in the Finger Lakes region of the State of New York. The county is along Lake Ontario's southern shore. At the 2020 census, Monroe County's population was 759,443, an increase since the 2010 census. Its county seat an ...

References

External links

*CNN
Pelin Sidki, "Discharged under 'don't ask, don't tell'," November 10, 2009
accessed May 30, 2013
Chris Johnson, "Army sergeant comes out on CBS '60 Minutes'", January 11, 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manzella, Darren 1977 births 2013 deaths People from Chautauqua County, New York American LGBT rights activists Manzella, Darren United States Army soldiers Combat medics American military personnel discharged for homosexuality Road incident deaths in New York (state) Pedestrian road incident deaths Activists from New York (state) Military personnel from New York (state) 21st-century American LGBT people