Sir Ian McKellen's Gay Military Appointment

Openly gay actor Sir Ian McKellen has side-stepped the American armed forces "Don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuals recruits, after being made an honorary lieutenant colonel in the national guard during a recent trip to Atlanta, Georgia. The Lord Of The Rings actor who has always been very vocal about his sexuality since coming out in the 1980s, was given the title whilst promoting recent movie The Da Vince Code. The 67-year-old hopes the recognition bestowed upon him by the governor of Georgia will encourage more gay men in the military to be open about their sexuality. He tells the New York Daily News, "I was in Atlanta doing press for The Da Vinci Code - and they wanted to honour me. The governor made me a lieutenant colonel. "So the 'Don't ask, don't tell' rule obviously doesn't apply to me. I have a lovely certificate hanging in my office. So inadvertently, they made me the poster child for having openly gay people in the military."
from Contact Music