Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last week or so, you’re well aware that President Obama asked Congress to repeal DADT in his January 27th State of The Union address, stating that, “It’s the right thing to do”.
He’s right.
DADT, which replaced the previous complete ban on non-heterosexual soldiers, has been around since 1993, and even then had to be passed by President Clinton’s Executive Order, as Congress rejected the passing of the Military Personnel Eligibility Act of 1993.
This compromise was a small win for Gay Rights in 1983, however even then it was not nearly enough – and today, it’s simply sad. The attitude that a person’s sexual orientation has anything to do with their ability to serve a common good, right a common wrong, or fight a common enemy, is moronic.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, flatly disagrees with the idea of ending it.
“When it comes to ‘don’t ask don’t tell,’ frankly, I think it’s worked very well. And we just ought to leave it alone,” he said to reporters Wednesday morning.
Oh really?
Telling soldiers to lie, every day – to go against their training and the code of honor they have dedicated themselves to, is working very well? You’re an idiot, Mr. Boehner.
Most Western military forces have now removed policies excluding individuals of sexual orientations other than heterosexual (with strict policies on sexual harassment). Of the 26 countries that participate militarily in NATO, more than 22 permit gay people to serve; of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, two (Britain, France) permit gay people to serve openly, and three (United States, Russia, China) do not.
What is it we’re afraid of? It’s not about their ability to fight – there have been gays in the military for as long as there has been a military….believe that. They just aren’t allowed to let it be known. Perhaps the fear is that if they open the closet door, they’ll finally find out just how large the ratio of gays in the military actually is and has always been.
I honestly don’t understand the “fear” of gays that seems to perpetuate the traditionally macho areas of our society. There seems to be this misconception that just because one is gay, that means the person is by default a promiscuous practitioner of debauchery who is simply physically unable to keep his hands off of any person around them of the same sex. This type of person does of course exist, although the presence of this trait has nothing to do with sexual orientation – there are plenty of heteros that can’t keep their hands off the goods too, and most likely more in comparison.
I’ve heard the excuses – the arguments against gays in the military.
“Fags can’t fight”
Uhhmmmm….you’ve clearly never seen the parking lot on drag-night at about 2:30AM.
But seriously – I have news….Fags have been fighting. You just didn’t see it with your head buried in the sand.
Let me paint a picture for you…
DADT will be repealed. It may take a bit of finessing, but it’s going to happen. There will also be the introduction of even sharper sexual harassment policies as well. Is that going to keep the macho, hate-mongering homophobes from verbally, emotionally and physically assaulting non-heteros in a post-DADT military? No…wake the hell up.
Life in the military for gays will be not be pleasant for a long time to come, regardless of what policies are enacted. That’s a fact. And KNOWING this, that young gay or lesbian 18 year old will still enlist. They’ll endure not only physical and mental beating they receive from the enemy, but also the onslaught of small-minded torture they receive from their own brothers and sisters in arms as well – and they’ll do it willingly, openly, with head held high.
How is that not courage?
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