I won't link to any of the sources of the news items that just reported about a possible compromise to gays in the military. If you want to read the original articles, just search for "military gay compromise". The reason I won't link to them is because the sources tend to change their links and breaking them where I've linked to them and I have had enough of fixing them to not want to do it again. I'll give you the basic content of those articles and then I'll tell you exactly what's wrong with gays in the military.
As Reported by the Associated Press
A proposal to step up the repeal of the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military but still allow the Pentagon time — perhaps even years — to implement new policies was being discussed Monday by administration officials and gay rights activists.
That's the whole story. The rest is fluff and filled with inaccuracies. Prior to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy enacted by President Clinton, gays were barred from entering the military. The question was removed from recruiting applications. There wasn't any ban put into place. It was a simple solution to what the gay rights activists wanted. Military recruiters didn't have a problem with not asking. I know, because I was stationed at the Marine Corps Recruiting Station in Phoenix at the time.
This article, along with others, cites how many gays have been discharged since the policy went into effect. What it doesn't say is how many gays "opened up" about it in order to purposely get discharged. I'm willing to bet it was intentional more often than not.
It's a Matter of Resources
Men and women are segregated in military quarters, whether those military quarters are barracks or tents in the field. Male and female service members are never assigned to the same room or sleep in the same tent, and it should be common sense to know why it would be a bad idea.
Allowing openly gay (and lesbian) members in the military requires two more segregations, both in billeting and in operational procedures. Why? Because now the segregation has to be based on sexual persuasion as well as gender. Gays would have to be put together, separate from everyone else and lesbians would have to be put together, separate from everyone else. Despite advances in military benefits and operational design, single service members don't get to live or work alone.
I don't think there's anything wrong with gays and lesbians in the military (and I may be a minority heterosexual in that regard), but the US government simply cannot afford to dedicate the amount of money required to make being open about it palatable to all service members, existing or prospective. We're talking about building new quarters (possibly quadrupling the housing space required) and other resources related to them. I won't even try to go into how much time, effort and other resources will have to be spent on changing standard operating procedures to accommodate the changes.
A New Line will be Drawn
When you add sexual preferences as a new hurdle to deal with, think about the new line that is drawn between what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. What new minority group will have to be catered to when the next special interest group starts making noise?
Allowing people to be openly gay (or lesbian) in the military will start a trend that can't be stopped. This is the only reason I think it's a bad idea. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy can be applied to any minority group that isn't already covered. Isn't that enough?
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This article is published as: What's wrong with Gays in the Military?
That's just a bunch of crap being slung around by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, because he is working a political angle on gays in the Marine Corps. "Well Ok, but will will have all this expense." Its just amazing how a lot of people in the Marine Corps react to gays, what the hell do they care?? if they are not involved, they need to mind their own business. I remember a Drill Instructor who was discharged for being gay, he still continued to come to the Company Parties and still went on libo with other Drill Instructors they accepted him for who he was. Also as a civilian I ran a recovery program for addicts and alcoholics, several times we got guys in who where transvestites or at least worked the streets as women. Funny thing they were pretty much accepted by the others who lived at the facility, in a squad bay type living. I think its really only a few hateful people who are very insecure that make all the Noise, seems a lot of them are Bible Thumpers, brought up in the South.
The reaction is exactly the point. Not everyone is as open-minded as you are. There are way too many repressed people in all branches of the service to allow something like this to happen without a lot of changes. Of course it doesn't bother you and I because neither of us is on active duty anymore, so our opinions really don't count for much.
RT Cunningham says:
The reaction is exactly the point. Not everyone is as open-minded as you are. There are way too many repressed people in all branches of the service to allow something like this to happen without a lot of changes. Of course it doesn't bother you and I because neither of us is on active duty anymore, so our opinions really don't count for much.
Yes… correct…the reaction is exactly the point. Not every one is open-minded. Lets just respect them what they are..
.-= My last blog: Foreclosures Boynton Beach FL =-.
The Adsense ads you're serving up with this post are pretty funny, a mixture of military and gay ads.
While the housing issue is one part of it, I think it's one that probably could be overcome with a little creative thinking. After all, men and women have been billeted close to each other, even if they're technically separated. While I was at OCC at Quantico about 30 years ago now, men and women were in the same building, but not on the same floor.
I think the more critical part is in combat units, not supporting units. If someone has a deep emotional attachment to someone else or a deep dislike for them based on who they are, it can color critical decisions that have to be made very quickly in combat situations. One of the toughest things for leaders in combat situations is they sometimes have to decide who'll be likely to live or die in a particular situation. This isn't something that you want to be affected by strong emotions, negative or positive.
Eventually this will probably work itself out to some degree but it is something to be very slow and deliberate about, especially when there's a very good chance of our forces seeing major combat in the near future.
Good points, Frank. The gay rights activists want overnight changes, but that just invites trouble. It has to be done in a deliberate manner, or they'll spend twice as much time trying to unfix the fixes.
By the way, I went to boot camp about 32 years ago, I'm guessing you're over 50. :-)
i think Gays is not a problem, there also humans, and even that they are gays they are still a guy or a boy. anyway i need to search an exact news about this. thanks for this article!
There always has been and always will be gays in the military. That said, things have moved along pretty well "as is." I see no need to recognize peoples sexual preferences regardless of whether they're gay or straight. Sexual preference by definition includes what position is preferred. This is simply one of those "creating a mountain out of a mole hill" situations and it works well for government to create a distraction while they implement new taxes and legislation that might otherwise take the forefront in the news.