There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women.
--Keynote speech at "Celebrating Inspiration" luncheon with the WNBA's All-Decade Team, quoted in Mechelle Voepel, ESPN (July 13, 2006)
from The Washington Blade, posted in its entirety:"Pinning on" ceremony "big deal" for lesbian coupleComment:
An upcoming “pinning-on” ceremony in which Air Force intelligence officer Ginger Wallace will receive the rank of colonel will be distinct among similar events involving other service members.
Wallace’s partner of more than a decade, Kathy Knopf, will help pin the new rank of colonel on her jacket during the event beginning at 3 p.m. Friday at the Pentagon.
Knopf is participating in the ceremony after the lifting of the military’s gay ban known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which came to an end on Sept. 20.
Wallace, a lesbian, said she’s looking forward to acknowledging Knopf during the ceremony because the commitment her partner has made “is just as real as any other spouse.”
“To be able to acknowledge and thank her is a big deal, and I’m just so thankful to be able to do it before I retire,” Wallace said. “There was one point where I thought I would retire before ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was repealed, so I never thought I’d see the day. So, I’m very thankful to be able to do it.”
Wallace, a lesbian, entered the military in 1990 and worked through the entire span of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” from when it was passed into law in 1993 until its end in September.
Knopf said she’s pleased the timing of the ceremony took place after the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” so she could take part.
“It’s just nice after 11 years to be able to have it recognized and not dance around the issue any longer,” Knopf said. “So it’s wonderful for me to be able to play a small part and for both of us to acknowledge it instead of keeping it hidden after so long.”
Wallace, 43, is currently participating in language training in anticipation that she’ll be deployed to Afghanistan in the spring as part of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands Program, which is geared toward building long-term relationships with South Asian countries. She lives in McLean, Va., with Knopf, 50, who works as an analyst for SpecTal, a government contractor.
In addition to her partner, Wallace’s brothers and parents will participate in the ceremony. During the event, her new rank will be pinned on both her jacket and shirt. Each family member is slated to help in a different way.
“So Kathy and my brothers, James and Ryan, will pin on my rank on my jacket, and then I’ll take that off and then my parents will do my rank on my shirt,” Wallace said.
The “pinning-on” ceremonies are major events for service members in which they celebrate the advancement of their careers with family members and friends — especially when the promotion is to a high rank like colonel.
Alex Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, said he knows of U.S. troops who’ve participated in such ceremonies with their same-sex partners even with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in place. Such participation was possible because a service member could designate whomever they wanted to take part — including a same-sex partner — without referring to them as such.
Still, Nicholson — who’s also slated to attend the event with Wallace — said the events are more meaningful for gay service members in the wake of the end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Nicholson added Wallace’s ceremony is the first that he knows of since “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was lifted in which a same-sex partner has participated.
Even with repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Wallace said she thinks some gay service members will keep their sexual orientation a secret. But Wallace said she wanted to make a statement with her “pinning-on” ceremony.
“I don’t really have anything to lose, and I think it’s important to make people more aware of what we’re trying to do as far as equal rights go and moving from being second-class citizens to being first-class citizens,” Wallace said.
Wallace said the end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was “the biggest day” over the course of her 21-year career in the military, although she finds the change difficult to describe.
“I’m not sure that my life is really any different except for what I talked about before — just the release and now knowing that I can’t lose my job and lose the life that I love simply because I’m gay,” she said.
As a waiter for more than 20 years, lesbians are poor tippers. A group of nine, with a total bill of nearly $300 for food and drinks, left me $2.Comment: Yes, three in one week; this theme was so popular that specific comments and responses continued . . .
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I’m in agreement with the comment that lesbians are bad tippers. I know tons of lesbians who make far more than I do and either tip poorly or leave no tip at all. Yet lesbians are demanding of a waiter’s time.
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To the idiot that says that a tip is based on what you spend and not what you earn: It seems that we cheap lesbians know the value of the money we earn, so if you’re mad that we aren’t tipping you, here’s a tip: Get a better paying job!
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Not only does 10-15% make you look CHEAP, a women, a lesbian or Asian (yep, stereotypes exist for a reason, and you fulfill them everyday) it also barely even covers the costs the server has to "pay" into the restaurant to serve you. On your total bill AFTER TAX, the server must give away 5%-9% of that bill to the establishment. Which is divided among the bartenders (who made your drinks, how do you think they get paid?), to the support and to the kitchen and management. All which keeps the costs of the restaurant down, which in turn keeps your prices down. SO, if you Scroogely (okay that's not a word...) tip 10%...you are leaving the server with 4%-1%! ONE PERCENT!
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My niece just told me this story. Over the summer she worked for AKS (BUD Light) as a rep at all the bars at the shore. They were told gay men are the best tippers (lesbians, the worst)...that a decent looking guy can make up to $700 per night, on top of the money he gets paid from AKS, just for standing there promoting Bud Light. So, two of their friends decided to give it a try.
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This is something that I'm noticing within the discussion (not just porcupine's post, it's simply the most recent ), and that I have noticed myself when dining with women friends and teetotaling v. dining with a man and teetotaling -- I never get the diss when I'm dining with a male companion. It only happens if I'm dining with a woman or women. So, is it less about drinksism and more about sexism? Do waiters see me with my oft-times dining companion, a crunchy granola type gal, and figure we must be a lesbian couple and therefore tip poorly? Obviously our figures give a clue that we are both extremely fond of food even to our detriment, so that can't be the reason.
Dear God . . . make money come out of my butt.
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I’m sure many of you can relate to the “just making it” lifestyle…and we are immersed in it!
On a gay note, I wait tables and I’ve found that lesbians are the WORST tippers. I was talking to Rachel about this and she said “well think about it, two women probably make less than say two men, or a man and a woman.” I was shocked to hear her say this and replied, “seriously Rachel, do men still make more than women in the same jobs.” She says yes…Not always, but yes.
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Why are lesbians so tight with money, seems to be the opposite of most gay men. I don't know why lesbians are so cheap but, it sure must make for not such a pleasant way to live having to watch every penny you spend.Great comments, too.
hahahahaha....Yeah, I bet the City is Happy, BUT NOT the Waiters, Waitresses and Bartenders!!! Lesbians, it is a KNOWN fact, are THE WORST (CHEAP) Tippers of ALL people!!
@jl
[ . . . ] Sure, people are people, and you will find exceptions to any statistic. That’s why you should never prejudge someone. Give everyone a fair chance before you deem them a stiffer. [ . . . ] But as you said, they aren’t the only ones. Here’s a list of other groups of people that tend tip poorly:
Old ladies ($2 was a decent tip in 1960, but not anymore)
Lunch groups after church (a bible tract is not a tip)
Businesses (if you offer delivery)
Lesbians (however gay men tend to tip well)
Treat all these people with the same service you offer everyone else, but you can still mentally ready yourself for the stiff.
