Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

The latest effort to end Don’t Ask Don’t Tell stalled in Congress today.

Conservatives and anti-gay groups will tell you that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is vital to the safety of our troops. Gay soldiers isn’t the biggest threat that our soldiers face- politicians are.

They want you to believe that gay people are inherently different than heterosexuals. They aren’t. They’re people, just ones who are attracted to the same sex. Not only that, gays in the military joined because they wanted to protect their country- not because they wanted to get in bed with soldiers.

Those who are against it, tell you that it’s a moral issue. It isn’t. Whether or not you believe that homosexuality is moral- soldiers who have been discharged under DADT weren’t behaving immorally. Most became discharged after they aired a legitimate grievance against another soldier, and were outed in retaliation. It didn’t matter how long they had served their country, or whether or not they had behaved impeccably for all those years. Simply by being known as gay, it rendered them unable to serve.

This isn’t right. Especially not at a time when enlistment is at a low, as well as re-enlistment. Tours are being expanded and soldiers have been sent back with little time away from combat. Specialists and translators are in short supply, yet some of those discharged under DADT were just that- individuals in already understaffed positions.

How are gay individuals a threat to the safety of our military? Isn’t removing qualified personnel a bigger threat?

Don’t let politicians and pundits dehumanize gay Americans and convince you that simply because someone is gay it makes them “less” of a soldier. If you care about our military, talk to your senator. Tell them that you’re interested in a military that focuses on a soldier’s capabilities, not on their sexual orientation.

This is America. Our Declaration of Independence says that “all men are created equal.” Not that all heterosexual men are created equal. But everyone. It’s bad enough that women face a rough time in the military- but honestly? Could you imagine if someone tried to say that African Americans couldn’t serve in the military?

Serving our country is an honor- one that all capable individuals should be allowed to do regardless of gender, race, sexual preference and religion. Don’t let politicians convince you that this is about safety. This is about discrimination.

Originally published at American Whitney. You can comment here or there.