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

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

, Army medic and

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

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 Portla ...

, 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 Sexual orientation in the United States military, military service of homosexual people. Instituted during the Presidency of Bill Clinton, Clinton administration, the pol ...

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, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

, and was stationed in

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Cavazos is a United States Army Military installation, post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located ha ...

.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 most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, Chautauqua County,

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

, where he attended Brocton Central School.

Activism

Manzella

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

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.

Commendations

During his service, he earned the

Combat Medical Badge The Combat Medical Badge is an award of the United States Army which was created in January 1945. Any member of the Army Medical Department, at the rank of colonel or below, who is assigned or attached to a ground combat arms unit of brigade or s ...

''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 distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

'' 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 the driver of 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 U.S. state of New York, located along Lake Ontario's southern shore. As of 2022, the population was 752,035, according to Census Bureau estimates. Its county seat and largest city is Rochester. The county is ...

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 LGBTQ 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 LGBTQ people