Quote:
Originally Posted by Amy Gower
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?
|
The problem with DADT is that if service members who are LGBT are found out in ANY way, including off-base when not on duty, they are subject to dismissal, simply for being who they are. Indiscriminate, promiscuous sex while on leave is winked at, indeed expected, for heterosexual members of the service. Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell was passed ostensibly to preserve unity and morale in units. The big departure from tradition was to hear Chief of Staff Adm. Mullen say he personally thought the ban on openy gay people in the armed services should be repealed. British and Canadian forces, for instance, lifted the ban on gays years ago and seem to be functioning just fine.
Amy, DADT is not to protect gay service members but to subject them to a discrimination reserved just for them as a class.