On Tuesday, September 21, 2010 a bill to repeal the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” law established in 1993 was shot down by the Senate. This is infuriating on a level I find difficult to describe. In 2010, after homosexuals have gained many rights they previously weren't allowed by law (in the so called greatest country ever), if any of them want to serve in the military they cannot let it be known in any way.
Why? Arguments are made by those supporting the law that range from simple prejudice to pure lunacy. Within this range of arguments the “strongest” and most prevalently mentioned revolve around two categories: Homophobia and Religion. It should come as no surprise to find that both of these categories are often merged into one, but for now I prefer to look at them both individually.
On the subject of homophobia...being from Kentucky, a state where you will see Confederate flags flying from trucks, some homes, and permanently tattooed on many arms, I have heard guys jokingly say “You gotta trust who's in the foxhole with you!” or “Who would give a fairy a gun?” more often than I care to remember.
Trust? Let's talk about trust. I know people who joined the military that are as hetero as they come. By this I mean they had sex with as many women as they could, were abusive to anyone they saw as an inferior, and loved to show how amazing they were by proving themselves to be an “Alpha Male” whenever possible. Trust? I know men and women of the homosexual orientation that I would trust my life with long before the homophobic misogynists that hate them so much.
Who would give them a gun? People ask this question as if being gay makes you incapable of functioning as a human being. Get this through your heads: a person's sexual orientation does not determine a person's ability to follow orders, a person's ability to handle a firearm, or a person's effectiveness in battle.
On the subject of religion...the most prominent “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” support obviously comes from members of the Christian faith, since many of them claim (or at least believe) that this country was founded solely based on Christian principles. The latter is a discussion for another day, however so many of them are taught that homosexuality makes a person evil, more of a “sinner” than they are. Some even have the gall to say these people are “abominations”. Let's get one thing straight. There is no reason why religious influences should even be a part of this debate. Why?
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS NOT A THEOCRACY!
That's why. Not only that, but if a person's ability to serve in the military is determined by the opinion (and yes it would be opinion) of strictly conservative Christians, then atheists, pagans, adulterers, and practicers of other religions shouldn't be allowed to serve either, right? They aren't following the “correct path” so they are sinners and unworthy to serve your country, right? What about women? They weren't allowed in the military before and women are to be submissive to men according to some sects of Christianity, right? I'm sure they wouldn't mind being thrown out of the military just because of the opinions of close-minded people that can't see beyond their make-believe image of a perfect black-and-white world.
Bottom line: Gay men are people. Lesbian women are people. Bisexual men and women are people. We are all people, with the same abilities to learn and grow and fight and do what we feel is right! There is NO justifiable reason why anyone should be denied their right to fight for their country because of who they are. They have no problem risking their lives for you and your rights in this country, so obviously it's not the so called “abominations” that have a problem. It's the close-minded hateful homophobes that have a problem.
I know that all Christians aren't filled with hate and close-minded homophobia like the ones mentioned above. In fact, I am a Christian that sides against “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” as you can plainly see. I also know that not all conservatives are anti-gay nor do they all support the law. This is largely my own opinion based upon personal observations in my life, research, and a thorough disdain for anyone that refuses to see the world outside their clouded little bubble. All the same, the fact remains: refusing people their rights and privileges as citizens of the United States of America is unlawful and un-American.
I didn't know that you and Lady Gaga had so much in common. It's also interesting that in the name of tolerance you could have such a "disdain for anyone that refuses to see the world outside their clouded little bubble". While you and Lady Gaga were busy with your ideological rants you somehow missed the very reason most senators opposed this law. To start with, it was your knight in shining armor that asked the pentagon to do a year long internal review of what the effects would be if they repealed "don't ask don't tell" back at his poor excuse for a State of the Union address. The only thing most senators were asking for was to give the pentagon time to finish their review before voting on a repeal. Secondly, there was many other ridiculous add-ons to what was supposed to be a defense spending bill, which included a bill that would allow abortions to take place on military bases, and a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to be granted amnesty if they attended a college in America or joined the military. Though you would probably agree with all of those things, not everyone is so excited about radically transforming this Great Nation.
ReplyDeleteThough us civilians have many different views on what the military should and should not allow; I would suggest leaving those decisions to those who actually made the sacrifice to serve and understand what affects such a decision would have.
Will - Thank you for being so sane and rational about this. Too many people think that their religious beliefs are the only "right" way and everyone else must conform, in order to ... what? be saved? I didn't ask anyone else to save me by forcing their religious beliefs on me. It's flat out ridiculous that homosexual or bisexual people can't serve openly in the military. It's actually mind-boggling. These are good Americans who are willing to LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES so people like the person who commented above can continue to live in this great free country. Who cares what their sexual orientation or sex is? As long as they are adults willing to serve their country and countrymen, they have every right to be honest about who they are.
ReplyDeleteAs for the bill being shot down because of add-ons, I agree that was despicable on both sides. It has become flat out disgusting that a simple bill like this can't be passed because people on both the Republican and Democratic side can't just agree to pass a good bill that MOST Americans support without trying to add shit on to it to "get something" for their "side." Guess what, people? We are all Americans. At the end of the day, we're all supposed to be on the same side.
just for the record - although it shouldn't have been added on to this bill - I am totally in support of giving KIDS (the bill for illegal immigrants only applies to people who were brought here illegally by their parents before the age of 16) who were raised here, work here, have a life here, to go to college and better themselves and become productive members of our society, legally. We have always been stronger because of our diversity. Or does no one believe that anymore either? What scares you so much about that bill, Katie? Too many Americans are nothing but drains on society already through our many social assistance programs. Why would you deny someone who has lived here since childhood the chance to contribute to society?
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