Wake
Up
GAYS and THE MILITARY: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
By: K.D. Perry
Qualexcel@gmail.com
We are living in a bitter sweet age. We’ve fought to be free. We’ve fought to be heard. We’ve fought to be counted. Although America has progressed over the decades, America still needs a turn around. This is a time where education’s value is decreasing, the economy is crumbling, the youth has lost their innocence, the mature has lost the vision, and we are still verbally, mentally, and physically killing our fellow bothers and sisters who fight to keep America the “Land of the Free.”
Imagine an America where everyone is somebody and no one is nobody. Imagine America being the first in history or the only in the world to have true freedom and equality for ALL who step foot on Americas’ rich fertile soil. Imagine an America where our gay and lesbian soldiers can be themselves and not worry about their dreams being crushed and their passion destroyed all because of how they decide to “get down”.
Fifteen years ago President Clinton introduced to America the policy that came to be known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which relaxed the long-standing bar against gay men and women serving in the U.S. military. While the move was initially hailed as progress for the rights of gays in the military, today many see it as a liability.
"The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve."
While the phrase "don't ask, don't tell" wasn't used at that January 29, 1993, press conference, that's what the median titled it and everyone soon after followed. In lament tongue, this is what the policy stated: the government would no longer "ask" recruits if they were gay, and so long as military personnel didn't "tell" anyone of their sexual preference and didn't engage in homosexual acts, they were free to serve.
About 12,000 service members have been booted from the military since the law took effect. While the number discharged for their sexuality has fallen from 1,273 in 2001 to 612 in 2006, Pentagon officials insist they are applying the law as fairly as ever. Gay-rights advocates disagree, suggesting the military is willing to ignore sexual orientation when recruiting becomes more difficult ( In my experience, they tell you to keep it a secret… I even know a down-low military crew for new recruits). Last May, a CNN poll found that 79 percent of Americans feel that homosexuals should be allowed to serve in the military.
In addition to the 79 percent of Americans who believe gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve, Great Britain’s Ministry of Defense have announced that for the first time, the Army will allow its soldiers to participate in London's Gay Pride parade on July 5 in uniform. (Well, so much for Americans being the first to embrace such movements.) The move ends a ban on British Army personnel wearing their uniforms in the parade, and brings the Army into line with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, which both allow service members to march in uniform. Britain lifted its longstanding ban on gays in the military in 2000 after a European court decision on the matter.
Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center at University of California, Santa Barbara stated: “Our research has found that when Britain lifted its ban, there was no decrease in readiness or unit cohesion. That said, the Army has lagged behind the Navy and Air Force in creating a culture of inclusion". Twenty-four nations now let gays serve openly in the military. Many have found that openly gay service does not harm military readiness, and that the transition to a policy of equal treatment is most effective when supported by top leaders in the institution.
Palm Center senior research fellow, Nathaniel Frank, will publish a book on gays in the military in early 2009 that chronicles the detailed history of several nations whose militaries ended discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In the book, "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America" (St. Martin's Press), Frank assesses a wealth of research on foreign militaries and American analogous institutions, including the Palm studies. Frank concludes that, "despite fears that gays could turn fighting forces into gay pride floats, the majority of gays serving in foreign militaries and American police and fire departments conform to expected norms of their organization."
With all of the knowledge we have about our government and other governments of the world, one may ask “what about our future leaders?” Well, I can honestly say, Obama has my vote on this issue. In addition to Obama believing in gays adopting, and supporting civil unions while allowing individual states to marry same sex couples, Obama believes we need to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. His campaign literature says, "The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve."
If one were to ask me what I think, I would say that America is truly a “Sleeping Giant” and that we need to not only wake up but get up and shake some things up! There are many who serve our country who are Gay, Lesbian, and Trans Gendered. Without them and the “Straight” men and women, would we actually be America the Great? The answer is no! Gospel music and the real church experience wouldn’t even be the same without gays and lesbians. So with America being a predominantly Protestant nation, How would we?
“Last May, a CNN poll found that 79 percent of Americans feel that homosexuals should be allowed to serve in the military.”
Although I have been denied entrance into our armed forces, I hold no regrets any longer. I now believe that I had to be denied 8 time over the course of 5 years so that I can fight for someone to be accepted. I no longer want to serve in the capacity of armed forces but I now want to serve in the capacity of building blueprints and pouring a foundation so strong that those after me can build their dreams without the hindrance of bigots and closed minded individuals like Wes Vernon for www.renewamerica.com who stated: “ The bottom line is the policy ( if repealed) would seriously cripple our military's ability to its job — defending you and me. But if you assume the people pushing this agenda are intelligent, one has to wonder if the motivation transcends the big dollars in lawsuits or whatever political points are to be gained from obeisance to the gay lobby, or the misguided "bleeding heart.”…”
Are you willing to take a stand for those who are different from you? Are you willing to embrace your fellow co-worker, friend, father, cousin, pastor, if he/she decides to “come out of the closet” and serve this county with a clear conscious? Where did America go wrong? America was supposed to be a place of freedom and equality. Instead we became a power hungry nation that wants to control and destroy all that don’t fit our bill. America will you WAKE UP? America will you eXcape with me? Start by loving yourself then go and love some one else that is different. Ask questions. Get to know them. Edify them. Then watch your matriX vanish. Here at eXcape the matriX we love all and I as a representative will say that we need to keep HOPE alive and make LOVE a new world order.
www.aboutlife.com
www.cnn.com
www.time.com
www.renewamerica.us
www.nytimes.com