Ok, so I will begin by saying that I am a nosy person. I often hear what people say, whether I really want to hear about it or not (usually the latter, unfortunately). I was at the gym, and overheard a couple of people discussing the DADT, and the whole "gay" issue. To give a background for those who did not come into political awareness until after the Clinton administration, the concept of "Don't ask, Don't Tell" was introduced in 1993 as a compromise between then president Bill Clinton (who stated in a campaign promise that he wished to end the ban on homosexuals serving in the military), and House and Senate Republicans (who wished to keep the complete ban in place). The conversation that I overheard really brought me back into reality for a moment. I am used to a Liberal/ progressive Church background, have wonderfully accepting parents and friends, and have been out and open for a long time mow. It constantly surprises me how different the real world is. The conversation centered around homosexuals as individuals, what should and should not be allowed, and how it relates to DADT. Both parties involved expressed great fear and anger towards the gay community. One compared gays serving in the military to bin laden and al-queda being asked to join the US military, and the other stated that if one of his employees came out, he/she would be immediately fired. I can understand the fear, but I cannot get past the fact that people like this just do not seem to understand the full extent of what they are saying. In critiquing these statements, I will start off with the obvious: I am not a terrorist. Gays and lesbians are not going to infiltrate U.S. forces, and attack. Onto the second comment: The sad reality is that a person can indeed be fired for any reason under state employment laws, and every group is protected from firing except gays and lesbians. This means essentially, that the person who said he would fire any homosexual under his employment could indeed do so legally. This is a real problem, and I am frustrated by people who don't understand that it is indeed a civil rights issue. I do not see how anyone should be allowed to base employment on something like this. It really is that simple folks...everyone should have the same rights for employment. "The Gay" is not going to destroy the military. "The Gay" is not a disease, people... get it right. Now, to sum up my logic here, my "top seven" reasons why DADT is such a flawed policy are listed below:
1) We continue to lose valuable, skilled servicemen and women at a time when recruitment and retention are at record lows
2) The military personnel whose careers have been terminated cost (on average) over ten million dollars to re-train. This is taxpayers money being "thrown away" every time this policy is enacted.
3) At a time when jobs are hard to come by, many of these individuals will be terminated before they have reached tenure to be eligible to receive pensions, and medical benefits, leaving them "high and dry" without any warning.
4) Most industrialized nations have eliminated policies which ban homosexuals from serving in the military with great success.
5) What kind of message are we sending to the world with policies such as this one? We welcome you...unless you are____. This kind of message is not one that should be tolerated in this country.
6) This is a civil rights issue. It is not something that will cost money, and it is not something that I think needs much debate. To those who say "now is not the time", I ask a simple question: If not now, then when???
