Sailor Joseph Rocha endured years of hazing until he spoke out — then he was discharged for revealing his homosexuality. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old is itching to suit back up.
It took two years of unconscionable abuse as a Navy dog handler in Bahrain before Petty Officer Third Class Joseph Rocha spoke out about being harassed. However, his openness about being hazed by his fellow sailors ended up getting him kicked out of the service under “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Since going public with his story in June, the 23-year-old has become an outspoken proponent for the repeal of the military’s ban on openly gay service members. Leading up to the U.S. Senate’s yet-to-be scheduled hearing on repealing the 16-year-old policy, Rocha is finding his voice in fighting the ban — especially because he hopes to rejoin the Navy eventually. Rocha opens up to Advocate.com about the hazing, his decision to tell, and life as a full-time political science major at a Catholic university.
Why did you enter the Navy?
You know, it was my sophomore year [of high school]. Having grown up amongst violence and drug abuse, well. not myself ... just growing up in a violent household, I was confident that I wanted to dedicate my life to public service. And then my sophomore year, 9/11 occurred and I kind of decided my direction regarding my public service. I knew then that it would start with military service.
What was your experience in Bahrain from 2005 to 2007?
Well, when I first got there I was one amongst several hundred military police officers, and at first it was great. I was respected by my peers, I trained with the Marine Corps, I was respected by them, and my sexuality was never, never remotely questioned. It wasn’t until about six weeks in that I decided I wanted to become a part of a more elite, a much smaller unit of only two dozen, that I started coming under question in regards to my sexuality. And that came about through the normal procedure of trying to earn my place amongst their unit, but unbeknownst to me I was walking into an environment that condoned and propagated hazing before I even got there. And the difference with me was that hazing took its focus, as ordered by my chief, was specifically based on my sexuality. So because I trained with the Marine Corps, because I wasn’t interested in their conversations of sexual intercourse, it became a question of, Are you a homosexual? Why aren’t you interested in these things? And then the hazing demonstrated their intent of punishing me for what they considered to be my being a homosexual.
What kind of hazing did you have to endure?
Well, it started with just, like I said, just started with normal stuff, and it escalated to being hosed down in uniform to being forced to act out scenarios, homosexual scenarios on tape with military attack dogs, to being hog-tied or tied to a chair and left in a dog kennel with feces. These are the things that are documented by a naval report into this and a larger case of abuse in the kennel.
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