OK, I guess I am looking for a little insight into the Don't Ask, Don't Tell issue. And to be clear, since I'm not gay I realize that my viewpoint may be somewhat ignorant or uninformed.
When I hear about DADT, I think about it as kind of a protection, rather than a sort of ban on gays in the military. Like your sexual orientation is not part of your mission/directive/purpose in the military, it is personal and therefore not relevant in a military capacity. I do know as well, that heterosexual relationships are not always condoned either in certain circumstances, as my brother and now sister-in-law were serving together in Iraq and essentially had to keep their relationship a secret because it was considered a no-no for them to "fraternize" in that way (I think my brother outranked his wife at the time.)
I really am interested in others' viewpoints on this issue, especially since the military is really its own society with rules that do not apply to the population at large. Does ending DADT mean eradicating a discriminatory practice? Does it mean that gay soldiers may be MORE susceptible to discrimination because their orientation is then subject to scrutiny? Does DADT attempt to eliminate questions that are irrelevant when enemy combatants are shooting missiles overhead, or is it restricting personal rights?
|