Don’t Ask Too Fast

There are more gay people in this country then you probably even think or know about. It is never going to change. I believe it was in 1942 when the miltiary put an official policy in place to hunt and discharge gays in the military. The whole mind set crap about the miltiary is an entire different world is true --- the military does not protect the soldiers under the Constitution - most civilians do not realize that -- but a soldier does not carry protection under the very document that he is protecting for others freedom. He is governed by the UCMJ - a set of rules that sets up a situation that is almost communistic in nature to control the very people that are signing up to protect the country. Now let's now be all ulteristic here either - since the military does more recruiting in the poorer communites - alot of people are joing to have jobs, get an education ,have a pay check , see the world, and get the hell out. So as much as we love to hear the words fighting for our freedome - bull - it was a job, still is a job to many people - should gays be in the miltiary sure - when something becomes a nonissue - then we realize how stupid we were when it no longer matters.

I support give me a break. If your going to criticize someones response as to not sounding educated, you should spell tolerance corectly.

I am a 26 year old female. I am straight, but i do think that if some one is gay and they want to serve our country than that should be their choice...Not the presidents or anyone elses. Who cares what kind of sex they like that is not what is fighting for our country it is the american people. So whoever says u can't serve our country cause of the kind of sex ulike..that is stupid...we need to focus on more important issues in this economy than the kind of sex our service men and woman like.

To Tinman2009:

I said "if."

And when I say "fat" people, it doesn???t mean obese. I have known people who were only 15-20 pounds overweight who had failed their height/weight/tape test in the army and were booted out. They were completely capable of performing any physical task and even scored 290+ on their PT tests, which is extremely good.

I have never stated anything concerning the sexual or professional nature of gay men and women and I take at offense at your easy evaluation of me. It has to do with the attitudes of those already in the military and how they view gay people, not the abilities of gays themselves.

From your message, it seems as if you are very passionate about the subject, but you are putting words in my mouth.

The only people who should be drummed out of the military are those whose behavior is in blatant conflict with what the USA stands for. As long as people behave respectfully and in a non-harassing manner, what's behind their own doors should not be a problem in an allegedly free country. I am vastly more concerned about the blatantly racist skinheads trying to use the military as a forum to advance their venomous bull. Why isn't that arousing outrage, since that is as anti-American as it gets???

It sounds like a lot of the people that have a do not want gays to serve in the military are afraid of being "stared at in the showers, worried that they are being fantazied about on the battle field, etc...." Having served in the miltiary for 12 years and getting out of the military with good conduct and re-joining after 911, let me tell you. I am gay. Most of the people I dealt with on a day to day basis pretty much knew or suspected. I did not come on and say it. I was on a ship and in the Gulf War. I did not run into any problems or harrasement. I also did not set and stare at people in the shower, or in the barracks, etc.. Most people that are worried about getting stared in the shower for starters are probably not all that to begin with. Just like a heterosexual person I had a job and I did it and I had a life and I lived it. My goal was not to use the military as a dating pool - it was a job. As far as segregating homosexuals and heterosexuals into separate units. Grow-up, As far as sending all the homosexuals to the front lines and keeping all the heterosexual fathers at home. Hello - gays have kids to. For the people that brought up Marriage is a religious convention. You are right. Marriage should be approved by the religious and they should not be forced to marry people. And the government should not be allowed to give married couples rights just because they are married. The only right a married couple should have is they committed themselves to each other for a religious ceremony. And since our country was set up with separation of church and state to begin with we should just get rid of anything religious oriented that impacts how our governments run. We have to many different religions in this country to allow the white many christian believe to keep running roughshod over our country. If you want legal rights - then you should have to fill out a ton of paper work like a gay couple has to - in order to get almost the same legal rights as a married couple.

Why should ???We the People??? discriminate against anyone? Fighting in wars is not about ones sexual preference. It???s about the United States! ???United We Stand, Divided We Fall???.

I really don't care what soldiers do with their genitals among one another, just keep my A$$ safe from terrorists! Pun intended!

Gay soldier, straight soldier...can the military afford to be picky right now? Recruitment is down, way down, and J, incase you didn't know, the military would watch dog diseases among gays just like they have straights for the past hundred or so years. My ex-husband got something in Italy back in '84 that required him to get the "double bullet" of penecillin. He is straight. He got it from a woman in his company. STRAIGHTS have diseases too. As far as discomfort, just like every straight man is not attracted to every woman, every gay man is not attracted to every man. A gay guy can die for his country just as fast as a straight guy. They would regulate sexual harrassment the same as they have for years as well. WOW, maybe THAT is what your affraid of. Women have been oppressed by sexual harrassment for years, and the cover ups that go with it. Just scared you might get a taste, and couldn't handle it? Remember THAT the next time you oggle a woman in uniform.

People do not introduce themselves to others by shaking hands and stating, "My names Joe and I'm a heterosexual." What goes on in a person's bedroom really is not anyone else???s business. However, many gays serve and have served the U.S. with honor. I was one of those people; I was in the Navy for 6 years, 6 of the proudest years of my life. I was not in a relationship, I was not involved in any sexual activity, but the fact that I told a Cdr one day that I was gay, got me a discharge. All of my evals throughout my career were in the top 10%. I was a corpsman and served proudly, enjoyed wearing my uniform. I think the don't ask, don't tell policy is adequate; however if someone does tell, but has not in anyone brought shame to the military I think they should be left to serve their country. Good order and discipline is very important in a unit and I agree it should not be jeopardized. When I was being discharged so a statement in 1985, I had a fellow corpsman who was an alcoholic serving with me, they told him no hard liquor, no beer....he came in every morning smelling strongly of Scope. He would drink a bottle or two before coming to work. Everyday the Chief would walk him over to the CDR and he would get his stern "talking to" and then back to work. Now, to my way of thinking he was not accomplishing "the mission???. However, he was never discharged and in fact made Chief Petty Officer almost 3 years later. There are many inconsistencies in the military. I believe if someone is doing their job, someone is proud to serve, someone willing to put up with being on duty 24/7, someone who is maintaining mission standards and goals and helping in whatever way possible to meet goals/standards they should be allowed to serve. I do miss the military; I miss the sense of family, the sense of "we're all in this together!??? My road has taken me back to the military in a sense, I am a civil servant and proud to do what I can for service members and their families. I agree with the comment by "The Diva" it doesn't matter race, religion, democrat, republican, gay or straight.....we all serve one country, one God, one mission...to maintain our life, our liberty and our pursuit of happiness.

Why does everyone insist on condemning God when issues like these arise. If the bible says its wrong then everyone seems to condemn it and make God seem insignificant. I get tired of that. Maybe there are some individuals on here that proclaim God and hate in the same post, but that doesnt mean God agrees with them either.
One poster has explained that he has been in the militaryfor three years and he has yet to see a shower with stalls. I think that they should make stalls especially if this is to happen to give the individuals privacy. But in my opinion the stalls should have been placed in the showers from the beginning.

Some of the rules and policies that America clings on to for dear life sicken me to no end. I agree with the other posters on this subject about everyone being treated equally. God created EVERYONE equally in His eyes and we should be treated as such. I DO, however, have a problem with homosexuals trying to get the majority to agree with a lifestyle that is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL & should NEVER be compared to that of a person who was born physically or mentally disabled. I'm less religious than I am religious and I know that for men to be sexually attracted to their same sex and women likewise WAS NOT what God had in mind when He created Adam and Eve. Even though America AND the Constitution was established upon a crooked foundation, I see no need for those laws to be changed that have worked for the past 230+ years. The politicians and America as a whole need to grow a backbone and FAST and stand up for what they KNOW is right.

When your life is at risk daily, what could make it any better? To be a part of a liberal social experiment.

Isn't it amazing? The undamentalists seem to have a hard time experssing themselves sensibly. Glad I'm not an English teacher and grading their papers! I am so tired of people quoting the bible as if it were written by someone other than man throughout the ages. Some people just don't understand and never will. That's one reason I don't live in the USA any longer. Graham 2

Sexual orientation should have absolutely no bearing on how a person performs their job, whether they are a hair-dresser, soldier, or salesman. The law preventing gays from serving in the armed forces should be changed. The problem is really logistical. Most folks agree that it's not fair to expect heterosexual females to share living quarters (including bathrooms) with heterosexual males and vice-versa. That being said, then it wouldn't be right to force heterosexuals to share those same quarters with homosexuals of the same gender. Homosexuals would require separate quarters. This is not segregation because of discrimination, but respect for the rights of heterosexuals and homosexuals.