Gay US Army Secretary: ‘It’s the best job I have ever had – and an incredible honour
Last month we reported that Eric Fanning because the first gay US Secretary of the army.
Speaking to the Today Show, Fanning revealed that he can now “embrace” being known as the first US gay Secretary, Gay Star News reports.
He said: “I’ve gotten used to the fact that this is going to be a part of any time I get a new job or do something.”
His nomination for US Army Secretary came in just five years after the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’.
“I grew up in a military family, I have two uncles there went to West Point. And it was absolutely something that I considered, but wasn’t allowed to serve and so chose another route.”
He continues saying he “was first in the Clinton administration as a 24-year-old junior aide.”
“I ended up leaving, because I didn’t see that there was a future for me as an openly gay men. And so to be able to come back in this job is beyond what I had imagined.”
He adds that when it “first happened” he was “more bothered” by it because people weren’t focusong on his qualifications and instead, focused on the fact that he was gay.
“I wanted the focus on qualifications. Now I embrace it. It’s so important to so many people, I realise. And something I didn’t have 25 years ago.”
He concludes by saying, “It is the best job that I have ever had – and an incredible honour.”
You can watch the full interview below:
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