Should Military Personal Have the Right to Serve Openly as Gay Individuals?
"...With Liberty and Justice for All."
Gay advocates and supporters have rallied around the country attempting to support the rights of gay military personal to freely admit their gender preference and continue to serve in the military. Lady Gaga, a performance singer, jumped on the bandwagon in support of gays in the military by dressing in a costume made completely out of animal meat at this year's recent MTV music awards, and was accompanied by gay military personal who were discharged due to their forthrightness. The, New York Daily News, reported, Lady Gaga led a rally in Maine on September 20, 2010, intended to reach two senators who were uncommitted on the issue. She is openly stating her case, having the right to do it because of our Constitution.
There are gay military personal maintaining a closeted lifestyle, serving our country with honor and dignity without incidence. They work alongside their peers performing the jobs they were trained for. Gay military personal are presently protecting and defending our country, risking their lives for our individual freedoms. Why are their freedoms being denied?
Whatever your moral opinion may be on the issue of gay rights, does sexual preference deter an individual from proudly and responsibly serving our country? If someone is physically and mentally fit to pass military training for service, do they have the right to freely serve our country? Police officers have gay personal working on the force, and it doesn't deter in any way how they perform their professional duties. Sexual harassment suits are usually initiated due to inappropriate heterosexual behavior.
Sexual relationships can and do occur in the military between heterosexuals. Married personal also serve together in military units. Is this a risk to our military personal's safety? Does it deter cohesion of the military unit? Why shouldn't a gay military serviceman or servicewoman be free to openly serve without fear of being discharged? Gay military personal are no more a threat in the military service than any other heterosexual military personal.
Should we start questioning our military personal's religious beliefs too? Where should discrimination begin and end? There was a time in our sad history when African-American's weren't able to serve in the military, and when initially allowed to serve they were positioned in the highest risk positions. As Americans we're fighting for other countries to obtain their freedoms and individual rights. How can we support this policy when we're still discriminating individuals in our own military? What is so threatening about a gay military serviceman or woman in today's military? What do we fear about gay military personal? Sexual discrimination or harassment shouldn't be allowed in the service, regardless of gender.
Archaic macho military supervisors originated the rigid standards for our military. In today's society some changes have to occur. Discipline and respect for our country is what we should expect from all our military personal. Dishonorable behavior that interferes in individual military duties should be treated equally regardless of gender. Religion, gender, or race shouldn't stop anyone who legitimately respects our country and has a desire to serve our country.
The question of gays in the military will continue to be an issue that isn't resolved, and will continue to be unresolved until we can learn to respect each other as individuals, honor our differences and the right to live with these differences as long as they don't harm any other individuals. I believe closeted gay military personal have also given the extreme sacrifice, their loss of life while serving our country, and their families openly mourn their loss. In America, we believe in democracy and must stand up for the individual rights in place in our Constitution. Whether you morally agree with these rights or not, it shouldn't allow us to discriminate on anyone who wants to stand up and fight and defend our country for these rights.
The End
Published by Claire Luna-Pinsker
I'm an author and writer, retired pediatric nurse, mother and wife, educated in the school of life. I started writing stories using spelling words in elementary school. My teacher's encouragement helped deve... View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentUpdate. December 22nd, President Obama reported the,"Don't Ask, Don't Tell," law has been repealed. Now hopefully the military will deal with this new policy change in the right way. The problem of sexual harassment, no matter what your gender, should belong nowhere, and that includes our miltary forces. Be heroes and continue to protect our country.
I don't care to know what a person's sexual preference is. I don't think it's necessary for a person to go about touting his or hers. If they are willing to serve and die for our country I applaud them for that. How in the world will we ever be victorious if we have distrust within our own ranks? I'm more concerned that we have each other's back.
Well written article. This antiquated policy needs to disappear, and I was competely shocked to find out this repeal was blocked. And Roy....gay people do not force their sexuality on anyone and sadly it is those kinds of misconceptions that have likely kept this unconstitutional and downright ridiculous policy in place for so long. I just hope action is taken soon to see this repeal go through.
@Roy--Gay people don't force their sexuality on people. We just want to live as openly as everyone else. Is it not forcing their sexuality on people when heterosexuals kiss and fondle each other in public? If it isn't, then the same should be true for gay people. I doubt that, when your life is on the line, you're interested in groping or ogling the person next to you, regardless of your and their gender or sexual orientation.
And @Claire, gender preference and sexual orientation are not the same thing. Gender identity & expression, which you seem to call preference, refers to whether an individual identifies as male, female, androgynous, etc. It's inborn--some people are transgender, and some of those who are transition from their apparent genetic gender to live as the gender they truly are. Oddly enough, there doesn't seem to be any military prohibition against transgender individuals serving. Don't ask, don't tell specifically applies to people who identify as gay & lesbian
I don't know what the answer is, Claire, honestly I do not know. But, I know that God wants us to "love one another" regardless of our differences. cheers
PV Love!
They did it again-Republicans blocked the repeal--what is wrong with these people--it is ok to let young men and women put their lives on the line to defend us-but we can't afford them basic human rights!! It's sick.
As long as gay people don't try to force their sexuality on/onto the other troops, then people shouldn't have a problem...but then again, the essence of the military is often putting up this macho attitude.