President Obama has been under heavy fire as of recent for not stepping up to the plate and changing the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy that is currently instilled as our nation's military protocol with homosexuals; a change that he vowed to make during his campaign and then reiterated in his State of the Union Address earlier this year.
I'm very split on this issue. As a member of the New Hampshire Army National Guard, and a future member of the U.S. Army, I've spoken with several NCOs and other members who feel that changing the policy will have great affect to the chemistry of the military.
Repealing the policy will inevitably result in hundreds of soldiers, both male and female, coming out into the open. This doesn't worry me. As someone who serves, I don't care whether the soldier next to me is gay, straight, male, female, black, white, purple, it doesn't matter. What does worry me is how they will be treated by other soldiers and the possible fall out that could ensue. You get all of these non-military gays and lesbians crying for the change in policy, when maybe those who are in the military don't want the change. Maybe they don't want to be looked at as being gay, but just as being a soldier. The military isn't stopping the enlistment of gays or lesbians, more than it is just turning the cheek.
There may come a time when our country will clear itself of its ignorance, and a man will be able to serve next to a man regardless of sexual orientation. But I don't think that that time is upon us, and forcing this rule change will only hurt those who currently serve or are trying to serve.
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpps/news/dpgonc-obama-committed-to-repealing-dont-ask-dont-tell-mh-20100421_7175819
6 comments:
While I respect your opinion and the research done to back it up, I disagree completely. As one of the non-military gays crying for change in the policy that you mentioned, I believe you don't have to be in the military to see opportunities for positive change. Even if you choose to overlook the obvious human aspect of this policy and how detrimental it is to gay heroes that fight for this country, perhaps you would be more inclined to see how ridiculous and backward this policy is if you researched the numbers behind it. For instance, in February 2005, the Government Accountability Office reported that Don't Ask Don't Tell cost the United States $95.4 million in recruiting costs and $95.1 million for training replacements. Other experts have placed the cost at as high as $363 million. The fact of the matter is that gays have always and will always continue to serve with you, whether or not you force them to lie about it and abandon their integrity so they can still serve their country. This policy is divisive, does not help unit cohesion, and targets a specific group. Did you furthermore know that the Military Readiness Enhancement Act aims to help stop the losses in such critical areas as much needed translators by changing the language of the current law and making it stipulate that their should be no discrimination based on sexual orientation? The opinions have shifted, it is time to change this discriminatory law, the experts are lining up in support of reforming this policy, and finally our gay service men and women who put their lives on the line for you and I can finally serve with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Additionally, did you know that this policy is being used to disproportionately target women? According to a NYT article in 2007, even though women made up only 14% of the armed forces at that time, 46% of DADT dischardged in that year were women http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/washington/23pentagon.html
One last point that I would like to add is that militaries around the world have seen these policies to be counterproductive and if you research the policy shift you will see how imperative it is for the United States to do the same. We need every skilled soldier possible to protect this country, period. It is time that the values of equality and all men being created equal are mirrored in the most honorable American organizations on the planet.
I see all of your points and agree with them all. But the major point that you left out is how do you think the gay men and women in the military will be treated when they do come out? My opinion isn't the way it is because I don't want to serve next to gays and lesbians, that couldn't be further from the truth. My opinion is the way that it is because I am worried about the treatment of those same men and women. I've heard SEVERAL Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) rant about how gay men should not be allowed to be in the same showers or bathrooms as straight men; and while their points are ignorant, they do bring a sort of validity as well. When the policy does inevitably change, the fallout will mainly be how the gays are treated, not how much money we save.
Don't Ask Don't Tell is one of the biggest cop outs of all time. Clinton had to compromise because of several factor, mainly pressure from organizations that have an archaic view of homosexuality. While I respect your view point that perhaps gay and lesbian soldiers would suffer as a result of revoking this policy. I have to argue the logic that “other members who feel that changing the policy will have great affect to the chemistry of the military.” The change of policy in regards to the equality of African-American, Hispanic, and Asian serving in the military, was thought of at the time to “have a great affect to the chemistry of the military.” Waiting for attitudes to change will take forever. There are still racist attitudes within the military, but despite these attitudes military personnel learn to work together. Women who serve in the military are often faced with discrimination but they can’t hide the fact they are a woman.
Arguing that homosexuality is any different than gender or race is a fallacy. People are born with gender preferences, it is biological. My hair is brown and my eyes are blue, a person does not choose sexual preference. Suggesting that revoking this policy would automatically out homosexuals in the military and they might be endangered is not giving soldiers a lot of credit. In the end we are all human, some people might have a problem with homosexuality, as they might with a commanding officer who is a woman or having to share barracks with an African American. People have the ability to adjust to circumstances, we shouldn’t sit around and wait for the change it has to be created.
I agree completely with the author of this entry. I do believe in equal rights in our culture however, the military is just a tough situation. The chemistry of a group of soldiers is about as important as it gets. You and your fellow soldiers are in charge of each others lives. While it would be very ideal that everyone could work together and be happy, truth is that there still is a lot of discrimination against homosexuals. We have wasted tons of money in this strange policy, however it's just a sad truth that not everyone is excepting of equal rights. I also don't find this policy extremely discriminatory considering it is exactly as the name suggests. There is no need to announce to your fellow coworkers if you are straight or gay period. It is your place of work and that doesn't need to be necessary. No one is being turned away from the military unless they announce that they are gay.
The Don't ask, don't tell policy will always be a tough policy to debate. I think it needs to start with the acceptance of gay marriage. These two issues go hand in hand. If gay marriage is made a federal law it would have a monumental affect on don't ask, don't tell. I personally think it's ignorant to address don't ask, don't tell without making a decision on gay marriage.
Civil rights are very often denied to people on the basis that the "timing" is not right. There are policies against sexual orientation discrimination in the private sector, some states, and a variety of other workplaces. If you remember right it was not too long ago that bi-racial marriage was banned and this was the reflection of the will of the majority. We look back now and see how backward and discriminatory that policy is, and DADT will be viewed in the same light. There are 24 other NATO countries that provide troops in Iraq and Afghanistan that serve alongside our own troops. With the exception of Turkey, the United States is the only other original NATO country that employs such a ridiculous ban. Additionally, the United States military used to employ bans on African Americans and we have seen the positive effects of removing that ban as well. Many studies have shown that countries with open service policies do not suffer in retention or recruitment of troops and in fact, these requirements based of being straight and not out are relaxed in times when major conflicts are present. Simply put, the United States military has no problem using the gays when it suits them but then getting rid of them through policies such as DADT when they are no longer needed. If you look up the history of how the military has classified and treated homosexuals you will find a horrible pattern of abuse, mistreatment, and the use of false medical research to deem gays unfit. Gays are just as fit as straights in serving our countries via the military, and allowing any policy that is blatantly discriminatory like DADT to stand is unfathomable. You can argue that you are concerned about the well being of gay troops once DADT is dissolved to the deep abyss of other failed policies, but you cannot erase the fact that we are all created equal and deserve the same opportunities. I have much to say on this topic and wrote a research paper if you should require any additional information feel free to see me. Thank you for reconsidering your original ideas on this topic.
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