Don't Ask Don't Tell? Good Riddance!
“I’m sorry son, you’re openly homosexual so you MUST be less of a man and less capable of defending our country. {{Sigh}} If only you’d kept your mouth shut.”
Thank goodness DADT has been repealed. America, the so-called melting pot, finally caught up with the times. I love my country, I truly do. I also love my children – but that doesn’t mean they don’t do stupid things every once in a while.
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was the official stance of America on homosexuals in the military from December 21, 1993 until September 20, 2011. According to the policy military personnel were prohibited from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants. Also according to the law, the military was instructed to turn away openly gay, lesbian or bisexual applicants and to discharge openly homosexual service members. Until the repeal of DADT on September 20, America was the only industrialized country with such a law. Supposedly the law was in place to keep the “gays” from dragging down the high moral standards of the military – because discrimination is so very moral, right?
Severe beatings of homosexual servicemen led to the last revisions of what once was the law. Stopping the violence was a good first step, but the method was not necessarily the best. The beatings may have lessened, but at what cost? Homosexuals had to make a choice – stay closeted or forget joining the military. Feel ashamed of who you are and hide it or choose another career path. The law may have lessened the violence but it only increased discrimination. Perhaps tolerance policies and knowledge would have been a better route.
Since we were children haven’t we been told we are all special in our own way? Haven’t we fought for equality for all races and for women? I know, I know. I have no military experience so I really shouldn’t get to have an opinion on the matter. But since this is my writing – I get to tell my opinion. Please feel free to defend arguments against my opinion in the comment section. I only ask that you please keep it clean and no personal attacks - or your comment will be deleted as soon as I see it. Remember: children have access to this web page.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. If you're interested in the opinion of a member of the military on this issue (of course you are!) please also read this piece by Mike Simmons.
