WEBVTT 00:04.460 --> 00:07.519 Pride . I see it as a reflection of the 00:07.530 --> 00:11.090 past and a celebration of where we are 00:11.100 --> 00:13.100 now and then a look into the future 00:13.390 --> 00:15.334 when I first joined the military , 00:15.334 --> 00:17.501 right at the tail end of , don't ask , 00:17.501 --> 00:19.446 don't tell , I was still trying to 00:19.446 --> 00:18.959 figure out who I was . So I definitely 00:18.969 --> 00:21.080 didn't serve openly . I remember some 00:21.080 --> 00:23.191 of the friends I'm still friends with 00:23.191 --> 00:25.302 now , you know , telling them but not 00:25.302 --> 00:27.525 necessarily being super open about it . 00:27.525 --> 00:29.636 Any time anyone asks me , hey , you , 00:29.636 --> 00:31.802 are you married ? Do you have kids who 00:31.802 --> 00:33.969 is in your life ? I'm always very open 00:33.969 --> 00:36.549 about my partner and our story and how 00:36.560 --> 00:38.004 she's been there for me . 00:40.439 --> 00:43.930 I feel privileged now as a service 00:43.939 --> 00:46.619 member and a person in society who 00:46.930 --> 00:50.009 lives openly as a in the community 00:50.020 --> 00:52.131 because of who came before me and who 00:52.131 --> 00:55.040 paved the way for all of us . It's nice 00:55.049 --> 00:57.430 to know that there are people just like 00:57.439 --> 00:59.550 you around you that we're forming the 00:59.550 --> 01:01.990 ranks too , especially for those 01:02.000 --> 01:04.278 younger soldiers and especially for me , 01:04.278 --> 01:06.500 those younger officers coming up , they 01:06.500 --> 01:08.667 can see that we're serving openly as , 01:08.667 --> 01:09.980 you know , who we are