FYI: for our queer community, allies, and people of color. A sailor was murdered this past Tuesday at Camp Pendleton (here in southern California) and the story has received very little mainstream coverage. Moreover, of the little coverage available, very little of it recognizes the obvious--that August Provost was murdered due to his sexual orientation. Provost's passing gives us pause to consider the ways that an ethos, or long-standing attitude and value-system, permeates the military, continuing to punish those who do not perform their gender "right," and those who express desire among same-sex individuals. Same-sex desire in the military is not a disease nor a shadowy concept. In fact, in many cultures there is a long-standing link between the martial and desire between men. As Yukio Mishima attempted to demonstrate in Japan during the 60s and 70s, there was a long-standing tradition of erotic and sexual contact between men in samurai culture. Let's take this opportunity to call out the military for its lack of response to August Provost's murder, and for turning a blind eye to a long-standing tradition of same-sex erotic practice in the military.