Don’t Ask Too Fast

In response to Ms_im2real4u "why does it [being gay] have to be announced", I answer with asking why it should be hidden. In the course of interacting with others, one's sexuality might be revealed such as during conversations about who you dated last weekend or who your girlfriend/boyfriend is. No one is expected to make an announcement about their sexuality, but one should not have to hide it either especially when straight soldiers are not expected to hide their sexual orientation. Plenty of good men and women are prevented from serving in our military because they are gay, and plenty of time and tax dollars have been wasted because competent gay men and women have been trained only to be booted out of the military only because they are gay.

In other countries such as Britain, Israel, and others where being openly gay does not prevent one from serving in the military, the issue of openly gay soldiers does not cause the problems that are feared here in the US. More problems are caused by the witch hunt atmosphere created because gays are not allowed to serve and to be openly gay. It should be pointed out, however, that this policy is not adhered to in every circumstance. Studies reveal that the number of discharges of gay soldiers drops significantly during times of war. Gay soldiers who are discovered before being deployed are typically sent into combat and their discharge is not processed until they return home. If gays are thought to be useful on the battlefield, the military should not discriminate against gay soldiers during peace time. In his book "Honor Bound: A Gay American Fights for the Right to Serve His Country", Joe Steffan tells of a report the military conducted (and subsequently suppressed) in the late 1980's early 90's which basically said that gay soldiers were rated as good as straight soldiers - no significant differences could be found. This finding is congruent with the psychological studies concerning gays - no significant differences in pathology can be found between gays and straights.

In short, it is unfair discrimination to exclude openly gay individuals from service to our country by excluding them from the military. The policies of the United States in this regard are behind the times as the experiences of other countries have shown. Gay Americans are every bit as much American as any other native or naturalized American. Being gay is not pathology and gay individuals should not be treated as if they were ill.

edwardmelissa... first of all its the cheerleading "squad" not squat... second, there are already thousands of homosexual soldiers serving in the military and dying for your freedom, they just arent allowed to openly acknowledge this because of bigots like you... and finally, maybe you should leave the typing to the men and women that are not confused as to how to compose a sentence and understand our vast english vocabulary:) have a nice day!

There are already plenty of regulations that prohibit members of the armed forces from making sexual advances on other members (of either sex). Therefore, if a gay person makes advances toward another service member, there are disciplinary remedies available. I say let them serve openly (they are already serving now), and then if there is a problem, deal with it. Service members must all wear the same uniform, so a homosexual isn???t immediately obvious unless they tell you or you ask. The "don???t ask, don't tell" rule was just about the stupidest mandate a president ever gave the military. Even under the existing rules, people generally know the sexual orientation of those around them (or at least have an idea). It is only those above them that don't know their sexual orientation. All the existing rules do is to deny that person any protection under the law if they are harassed by peers due to sexual orientation (since the only way they can claim harassment is to "out" themselves). That way, if there is inappropriate sexual conduct, it will be dealt with, and if there is harassment based on sexual orientation, it will be dealt with. Both heterosexuals and homosexuals are expected to keep their sexuality out of the workplace and in their private lives. That is sufficient.

Hopegirl106 you need to get a grip on reality, and quickly. God made us to love whether that be a man or a woman. I hope you never have to deal with loving someone so much and wanting to spend the rest of your life with them but not being able to make it official infront of all of your friends and family because some close-minded people think that it is inappropriate or what was the term you used "abnormal." I am not gay and I am a Catholic, you call yourself a Christian, I wonder if the Lord will judge you as harshly as you judge others.

Sorry. This won't work. While in the USMC one of the guys in a school I was attending used to bounce into the showers visibly aroused. You can't expect straight guys to tolerate that. I know generally society has changed but most straights don't have to shower with gays.

In response to Ms_im2real4u "why does it [being gay] have to be announced", I answer with asking why it should be hidden. In the course of interacting with others, one's sexuality might be revealed such as during conversations about who you dated last weekend or who your girlfriend/boyfriend is. No one is expected to make an announcement about their sexuality, but one should not have to hide it either especially when straight soldiers are not expected to hide their sexual orientation. Plenty of good men and women are prevented from serving in our military because they are gay, and plenty of time and tax dollars have been wasted because competent gay men and women have been trained only to be booted out of the military only because they are gay.

In other countries such as Britain, Israel, and others where being openly gay does not prevent one from serving in the military, the issue of openly gay soldiers does not cause the problems that are feared here in the US. More problems are caused by the witch hunt atmosphere created because gays are not allowed to serve and to be openly gay. It should be pointed out, however, that this policy is not adhered to in every circumstance. Studies reveal that the number of discharges of gay soldiers drops significantly during times of war. Gay soldiers who are discovered before being deployed are typically sent into combat and their discharge is not processed until they return home. If gays are thought to be useful on the battlefield, the military should not discriminate against gay soldiers during peace time. In his book "Honor Bound: A Gay American Fights for the Right to Serve His Country", Joe Steffan tells of a report the military conducted (and subsequently suppressed) in the late 1980's early 90's which basically said that gay soldiers were rated as good as straight soldiers - no significant differences could be found. This finding is congruent with the psychological studies concerning gays - no significant differences in pathology can be found between gays and straights.

In short, it is unfair discrimination to exclude openly gay individuals from service to our country by excluding them from the military. The policies of the United States in this regard are behind the times as the experiences of other countries have shown. Gay Americans are every bit as much American as any other native or naturalized American. Being gay is not pathology and gay individuals should not be treated as if they were ill.

I spent 24 years in the military, and it simply didn't matter whether I was working side-by-side with a heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual - there was a job that needed to be done and it got done. (And before you go there, I spent time at the tactical, operational, and strategic level ??? so I???ve walked-the-walk and can talk-the-talk.) There was never any hesitation, nor question of reliability, integrity, or dedication amongst the men and women that I served with. The rediculous question of trust that tends to linger around this subject is simply not inherent to sexual orientation; matter-of-fact, most of the military members that were half of a man/woman relationship weren???t as faithful to their partner as the others ??? so where???s the basis of trustworthiness there? I don???t have any real statistics on that last comment, but should it matter to a real leader? We should be basing our opinion upon the individual???s skill, ability, and knowledge ??? not who they???re sleeping with!

Signed,
Married with kids

Its time to grow up people homosexuality has always been around and its not going away. What does it matter if you know or dont know that the person next to you in the shower is gay or lesbian.

In most of these posts I see a lot of people referencing the bible and talking about judgements. Why don't all of you let GOD be the judge, because he will be the one to do it in the end. It is not your place or right to do so. As far as gays in the military, who does it hurt. They are just as willing to give up their lives to defend this country as any straight person is. Why does it matter what they do in their own personal lives.

If you're uncomfortable with someone's sexual orientation, you're probably uncomfortable in your own skin. In that case, you're just looking for a scape goat for your own insecurities. With that said, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was created to protect a group who is in the minority in the military. The failings are not due solely to the policy but due to yet untackled issues within the military and society. We should probably work on those rather than zeroing focus on this one policy.

I can't believe Americans can still be this ignorant and insecure. What difference does being gay mean?
Just because someone doesn't like cheese does that make them any less capable of doing something then someone who does like cheese?

For the issue of being uncomfortable the straightest men are usually those who can accept the sexuality of others.
I'm straight but have no problem sharing a dorm with 10 other gay men, or a shower or a place of dining.

A gay man is just as capable of serving their country as any other person. Personally I would rather be protected by an army of homosexuals who wouldn't let such a petty issue come in the way of more important matters.

For those who agree with me- keep fighting for what you believe even if those you wish to protect seem to disagree
And for those who disagree with me- Grow up. What ever happened to "The land of the free"?

Although attacking others is not the question at hand, I'm compelled to reply to GalVet but not because Jesus needs a voice--He has clearly spoken leaving no confusion. You are very right on a couple of things--Israeli army being tough is one of them. You are also correct that homosexuality isn's any more immoral than adultry, incest, spouse and child abuse, pornography, premarital copulation AND eating shrimp and catfish--for the record let's add lobster, crawfish, oysters, clams, mullusks, dolphin, shark, etc. etc. However, I must correct you on the 100% of heterosexuals being immoral in one category or another. Yes we all sin, daily, but that's why we have Jesus, who said "He is faithgul and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" so that we become "perfect through Him". Humans are not part of the animal kingdom, and it is a scientific issue--don't listen to the History channel, they never get it right. So, let's talk about Jesus--He spoke many words about it: just to name 3 of many Leviticus 18:22 says it's forbidden for a man to lay with a male the way he would a woman, and for a woman to mate herself with a beast as with a man and is punishable with death; 1 Kings 14:24 and Romans 1:24, 26, 27-30.

So, if you're going to knock the Bible and the natural ways of your mothers who brought you all here, at least be entirely sure of your information and the punishment of unrepentant sin. We all aren't "holier than thou fundamentalists", some of us are trying to do what's right because it's right, and when we mess up, we don't stay in that mess too long or condemn others for the same.

If you're uncomfortable with someone's sexual orientation, you're probably uncomfortable in your own skin. In that case, you're just looking for a scape goat for your own insecurities. With that said, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was created to protect a group who is in the minority in the military. The failings are not due solely to the policy but due to yet untackled issues within the military and society. We should probably work on those rather than zeroing focus on this one policy.

I once heard it described that allowing a gay person to take showers and sleep with someone of the same sex would be like allowing a heterosexual male to take showers and sleep with young females. Sounds like a dream for Gays. Probably lead to a largely Gay military.