America's Gay Army

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell is government-sanctioned discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual people. It is a double-edged sword of oppression which keeps willing, competent and able-bodied people out of the service simply because of their sexual orientation while at the same time keeping those lesbian, gay and bisexual servicemembers currently fighting for our freedoms and equality serving in silence, fear and hiding, knowing that at anytime they could lose their jobs, their livelihood or worse, simply because of the sexual orientation


The first thing you have to ask yourself is this. Is the government doing this TO discriminate or to keep disorder out of our armed forces? I think the latter is the answer. There is no easy way or inexpensive way to "accomodate" gays in the military and we can't risk the defense of this nation because a few gay people feel their supposed "rights" are being oppressed. Get over it. Gays are not being oppressed by keeping them from enlisting.

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while at the same time keeping those lesbian, gay and bisexual servicemembers currently fighting for our freedoms and equality serving in silence, fear and hiding, knowing that at anytime they could lose their jobs, their livelihood or worse, simply because of the sexual orientation


Yes... Don't Ask, Don't Tell is government-sanctioned discrimination. When openly gay people are told in Philadelphia that they are "morally and administratively ineligible" to serve, yes, that is discrimination and oppression. Don't Ask, Don't Tell states to lesbian, gay and bisexual people that they are unworthy, unable and not fit to serve. People said that integrating the military racially would cause problems. They said keeping a segregated military was meant to protect black troops. They said that integration would cause morale to go down and would cause problems. None of that was true and none of that would be true now.

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When openly gay people are told in Philadelphia that they are "morally and administratively ineligible" to serve, yes, that is discrimination and oppression.


I think oppression might be a bit of a strong word here. Repression maybe but not oppression. Oppression brings to mind blacks decades ago, the jews during WW2 and maybe the indian race back in the 1800s. Simply because you are not qualified (by military standards) does not mean you are oppressed. You are disqualified for very good reasons mainly because openly gay people in the military would be exceptionally disruptive and that is not acceptable. If the military had a policy to exclude circus clowns because it had a tendency to distract soldiers then I support it. It doesn't mean that circus clowns are being oppressed and they should get together are march to the enlistments stations (although that would be quite funny). What you are doing however is not funny.

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What extra accomodations do you need to house gay and straight people? Lots. Expensive ones too. Why? Because there's going to be issues with gay and straight men living, showering, etc in close proximity.


Great Britain, Canada and Israel, all three countries with which the US currently works and with which our soldiers are currently serving side by side with their soldiers, all allow openly gay people to enroll. They don't seem to have a problem. Great Britain isn't suffering - they are still a major world power.

Furthermore, because these countries already allow openly gay people to enlist, our soldiers are ALREADY serving with openly gay people in Iraq and Afghanistan and other areas. There doesn't seem to be a problem with gay and straight people in those situations.

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The new debate on “don’t ask, don’t tell” also coincides with multiple deployments that are being required of many American troops by a military that has lowered its standards to allow more high school dropouts and some convicted criminals to enlist.

“Would you rather have a felon than a gay soldier?” said Capt. Scott Stanford, a heterosexual National Guard commander of a headquarters company who returned from Iraq in June. “I wouldn’t.”

Lt. Gen. Daniel W. Christman, retired, former superintendent at West Point and onetime assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said both the British experience and the shifts in attitudes at home would cause the American armed forces to change, though slowly.

“It is clear that national attitudes toward this issue have evolved considerably in the last decade,” said General Christman, now a senior vice president at the United States Chamber of Commerce. “This has been led by a new generation of service members who take a more relaxed and tolerant view toward homosexuality.”

NY TIMES


Whether the minority (yes - the minority - poll after poll says Americans want DADT to go) like or not, Don't Ask, Don't Tell and government-sanctioned discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual servicemembers and those wishing to serve will very quickly be a thing of the past.