For those who are unfamiliar with this, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy is that any members of the military who are gay must not admit it, and they cannot ask their fellow comrades about their sexual orientation. This policy was put into place in 1993, and now some members of the congress, such as Senator Joe Liberman, are trying to get it repealed.
From one angle, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy discourages homosexuals from discussing their personal lives, which could add to professionalism in the workplace. However, in my opinion, this law has much greater implications; those who have partners of the same sex must not acknowledge them or any family they have raised together, and they have to hide a part of themselves that their heterosexual colleagues do not have to worry about. In my opinion, I firmly believe that any willing citizen should be allowed to participate our armed forces, no matter their orientation, religion, ancestry, or gender and be able to do so admitting what those are. However, I acknowledge that others may not agree with me; Do you think the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy should be repealed?
The statistics I mentioned earlier and the movement to repeal the policy both demonstrate that Americans are becoming progressively more accepting of homosexuals in our society. Whether you think this is detrimental or that it isn't happening fast enough, what does this change say about America as a whole?
From this information, I feel that America is becoming more tolerant of gays and lesbians. It may not be a rapid process, and I still think our country (and many others, for that matter) still has plenty of things to work on in the search for equality. However, if these statistics do adequately represent how Americans feel, I think we are heading in the right direction. What do you think?
I agree that it is unfair that members of our military who are willing and able to serve our country are required to hide a main part of their identity from the rest of their comrades. However, our world is deeply flawed, and I believe that it would be dangerous for these individuals to release their sexuality to others in the army. Despite the fact that our nation is making progoress towards the acceptance of homosexuals, there are still those who hate and fear them. THis said, the knowledge of a fellow soldier's sexuality could lead to hightened tension and more dangerous situations on the battlefield. The policy should absolutely be repealed, but sadly, we are not ready yet.
ReplyDeleteRight now, we know for a fact that there are gays in the military, we just don't know exactly who because they aren't "asked." If what separates troops from working effectively with homosexuals is merely knowledge that they are homosexual, then clearly this is idiocy we need to get over. However, nothing substantive indicates that knowledge of who is homosexual would disrupt unit cohesion, it is merely an assumption we've had for a long time. If gays openly expressing themselves elicits negative reaction from people in the army, the people negatively reacting should probably be kicked out, because they're the insecure ones. I don't know why we're punishing gays for straight peoples' problems.
ReplyDeleteIf servicepeople can be united regardless of gender and religion, I don't see what stops straight people from moving past their differences from gay people when working together for the same goals.
To Lizzie, I'd actually argue it's more dangerous to not have gays in the military. The military has to keep lowering its standards to keep recruitment up, so even people with criminal records and relatively lower achievement can get in. And yet, a gay guy that exceeds military expectations can get kicked out? I don't see why a straight ex-criminal can get in, but a gay nuclear physicist or translator can get kicked out.
Thanks for your responses!
ReplyDelete