Don’t Ask Too Fast

As a retired militarymember if I were still on active duty I would want to know. I know blood screening is better now than it was years ago but the fact remains combat conditions are different than everyday life. I am also a minister and while I don't hate Gay men or women I do hate the life style it is an afront before God. Finally, I will say this I am glad I am retired because personally I would not want to serve with them.

JUST KEEP THEM ALL IN INDIVIDUAL GROUPS WOMEN, MAN, GAYS, & LESBIANS, THAT WAY NO ONE WILL BE UNCONFORTABLE AND WILL NOT INVADE THE OTHER'S PRIVACY AND OR NO ONE WILL FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN SHOWERING WITH THEIR OWN KIND, SLEEPING, OR DOING THINGS IN THEIR OWN UNIT, OR HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT A GAY MAN OR A LESBIAN STARING AT THEM OR MAKING THEM UNCOMFORTABLE IN ANY WAY, OR WIFEY/HUSBAND AT HOME FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE, ABOUT THEIR PARTNER BEING UNCOMFORTABLE OR SURROUNDED BY SOMETHING THAT'S DISTRACTING THEM AT WORK.

I dont know why a gay person would want to serve in such an atmosphere for a military that thinks them such a threat (OMG..a glance in a shower...its worse than a terrorist attack!)...give me a break! Wars rage, pollution is out of control, children and women are starved and raped around the world and this stuff gets all the attention and creates such a shock? Shame on everyone for putting so much energy into what some gay dudes want to do with their lives!

Most gays in the US can't even legally visit their partners in the hospital if something happened. Would you go out and die for something that was against you????

Tim you are homophobic let's not BS each other. To be a soldier you must have self control and if you don't then you should not be in the armed forces anyway. Obviously you have a self control issue because you see homosexual males as unable to control themselves when in the room of others they desire, my guess you could not control your desires when a woman was in the room. People have too much ego these days, if a guy asks you out and your not interested then say I am not interested, if you beat the crap out of him for asking then you have a very deep sense of insecurity. I think Homosexuals can serve for their country and I think it is stupid that they should be kicked out if found out. Why would you want a soldier feel the need to lie just because they want to serve their country, everyone should have that right. Women were not allowed to serve because it was going to corrupt the men. Then Blacks were not allowed to serve because our government did not look at blacks as equals and when they were allowed they were always sent to the front lines. We are supposed to be intelligent, enlightened, but we are still filled with hangups and pathetic insecurities. If you want to discuss something important discuss how Americans do not speak up when our government is screwing up left and right. Our society has become nothing more than mindless drones doing what we are told

Wow!!! Okay...never mind the issues of whether or not the U.S. should allow openly gay men and women into the ranks of the military...can any good possibly come of something that brings about so much controversy, turmoil, and hatred? Before you answer this question, think about it for awhile, research it for good measure, and above all, answer it honestly from what YOU have ascertained, and not just what the "crowd" says...the answer may just surprise you, whether you are pro or con for these issues.

Until you have lived and served in close quarters and under the extremely tense situations demanded by military service, you cannot have an accurate contextual appreciation of the complexity and conditions of this delicate balance. The majority of military members have no objections to a same-sex preference, just as discrimination based on race or creed is a rare occurence. Most of us do not wear our religious affiliation or sexual disposition on our sleeves, and these fundamental groundings have little or no bearing on the development of camaraderie and teamwork. Being competent and trustworthy are measures of professionalism - sexual-orientation is a descriptor that does not affect these qualities.

Overly-asserting the sexual preference of a member is detrimental to morale, because you've called out these individuals as people who expect special or different treatment. I am in favor of legally-recognized same-sex partners receiving comparable benefits as military dependents. This is a change that I can advocate for as an active military member. "Don't ask, don't tell" allows for the maintenance of a discreet homosexual lifestyle without the stigma that comes from a radicalized label and assumed predisposition to discrimination.

Give the military some credit - we acknowledge the constraints and accept that there are homosexuals among us - we accept people based on their professionalism and quality contribution to the team - these objective factors are not influenced by sexual orientation. It is accepted that being a discreet or closeted homosexual is difficult in the military, and many members elect to leave under "Don't ask, don't tell" because the lifestyle balance is too difficult to maintain. For some, this is an easy out of a contractual obligation and their solemn oath to uphold and defend the Constitution rather than the result of blatant discrimination. Service int he military is not easy - on anyone. On any given day, even the best of us have considered the easy out - most straight members do not act on this temporary frustration, and I am confident that most homosexuals stick it out as well.

By repealing "Don't ask, don't tell," you invite homosexuals to be judged subjectively and earlier comments appear to goad the perceived conservative intollerant majority - let's not pick a fight just for the sake of misplaced righteous indignation. The military is not your opponent; its members represent a diverse spectrum of beliefs and backgrounds. We should not be haphazardly used as a petrie dish for asserting political equality agendas.

STVEIT - you are an illiterate, uneducated moron. You say you spent 34 years on Active duty. Didn't you know you could attend high school while you were in? Wait a minute - are you one of those old, retired, spent 34 years wasting America's tax dollars alcoholic Army rejects? You probably managed to stay in for as long as you did because you served so long ago that your ignorance was the norm and not the exception. Not in today's Army.

If you are worring about America's service personnel taking showers, then congress should ensure that they are not electrocuted when they are taking a shower by sobby wiring by hafe ass contractors who are part of the special interest groups of Congress and the current administration.

Parents do not send send their childrend to the military (if a peson want to enroll under 18yrs, then the parent co-signs as was in my case)...remember today it is volunteer military.

After the past eight years of this administration devastation of the military both for current service personeell and veterns wounded in battle, this issue is a to derversion on reality. If United States Military has survived the incompetence this current administration, it certainally withstand gays serving openly.

Eight years of the fear factor and conservative leadership is enough...especially by conservative homopohoic old white men....if they were so moralistic, they should of been watching over the finiancial instuitions in this country which has brought America to its knees..

Never...it undermines our ability to be effective, mission oriented warriors! Combat is like no other job in the universe in terms of mental fatigure and stress. Homosexuality is but yet another unneeded perversive distraction!

I served in the Military for

as someone who has served in the military (Air Force enlisted) I am against gays in the military, I believe to allow gays in the military will lose a lot more good members and potential members then will be gained not to mention that to allow for instance an openly gay guy to shower with a bunch of straight guys would be extremely uncomfortable regardless of what he's there its the perception and realization of how 99% of the active military members feel vs. trying to treat gays with equality... we aren't just working a job here...the teamwork you have on the battlefield is different from the teamwork corporate america has in their office... if you are on the frontlines you have to be confident and confortable with your unit... our service members are risking their lives out there and shouldn't be distracted by if one of their wingmen/wingwomen was "checking them out" in the shower... just as you don't want women showering with men, if you put a gay guy in the shower with straight men it is the same if not worse and you can't make special accomadations for them either...

Women and men serve together in close quarters such as fox holes but the issue of sexual attraction is not an issue there? Just because you are homosexual it doesn't mean that you are constantly thinking about sex in the presence of your same sex. The don't ask, don't tell law is bogus. America is a FREE country and no one should have to hide who or what they are.Signing up for military or government service is a choice of free will. Individuals are plenty aware of the situations they will be put in and have to deal with. Lastly, being a homosexual soldier would not in any way affect the ability to protect our country, therefore it is not right that is applicable to be "lost".

I am a vetran and I dont feel that they "Gays" belong in the military. We showered together and slept together and spent lots of time in close quarters. It would be verry odd having a gay man standing next to me in a shower!!!!!!!!

i too believe we should and do have more important issues confronting us as a country and i am from canada. this is not about religious beliefs (although tolerance is supposedly commended in this medium), it is not about being gay or straight (because i know that i have alot of similiar thoughts, beliefs, actions etc as a straight woman - i abhor child poverty/childhood sexual abuse, i pay my taxes, i argue with my inlaws). it is about being a bit different though, and for me that is ok. I am often 'seen' or assumed to 'be straight' - my response though is this is what a 44 yr old lesbian mom/daughter/sister/aunt/cousin//metis/military captain looks like........so whats the problem?