In our community, we work to create an environment characterized by stability and balanced by ethics. Among us are those who strive to hold up precepts such as honor and integrity, looking to create order in their lives by serving their nation in the U.S. Armed Forces. Within the group of people willing to undertake the vast undertaking of defending our country there are many gays and lesbians who, as it stands, find the institution that they strive to defend punishing them for an integral, but not all-encompassing, part of their nature. The personal conflict introduced by the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy currently being enforced by the U.S. Army is unconscionable. We cannot allow this draconic law to remain in place in good faith. We must recognize the personal struggles that members of the armed forces are forced to endure not only due to their sexuality, but also as human beings with lives replete with stresses besides the additional responsibilities and quandaries that accompany military service.
The current position of the U.S. Armed forces on open gay and lesbian sexuality, as exemplified through the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that was established during the Clinton administration, is in desperate need of change in a less conservative direction. The stance of the Armed Forces on sexuality presents an interesting paradox considering the lofty pillars the goals of the Armed Forces stand on. As a member of the army, you are expected to display not only great physical strength, but also mental ability and acumen under extreme pressures and adversity. Yet the inflammatory “don’t ask, don’t tell†policy makes it impossible for gay members of the military to be honest with those around them about their sexual orientation, thus undermining their self-worth. It is immoral to expect someone to serve their country as the very institution they attempt to protect and serve freely discriminates against them. Such a contradiction is blatantly unacceptable in any arena.
Shifting gears to the other side of this debate, there are people who claim that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is in the right, or perhaps not conservative enough. Indeed, at the time it was adopted, “don’t ask, don’t tell” was a revolutionary measure, and perhaps even a victory in the gay community, given the standards of the time. Gays were being harassed and far more blatantly discriminated against then than they are now. This is an incontrovertible fact. It also took power out of the hands of individual presidents to change laws regarding gays entering the military, allowing the tacit-consent like approach to survive even under conservative leadership. Many still feel uncomfortable about homosexual presence in the military, and the possibility of discrimination still exists.
In spite, or perhaps because of these facts, change is necessary regarding this policy. “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” remains as unacceptable as ever. Simply put, we are prepared for change in our lives on numerous levels in our society, just as the world 16 years ago was prepared for a lessening of prejudice against gays, with the introduction of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” We are now ready to take another, far more divisive step in ending prejudice toward gays and lesbians in our Armed Forces. Feelings of discomfort that linger regarding homosexuality must be dealt with in an empathetic manner, through increased education and acceptance in our schools and homes. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces have just as much right as anyone else to feel comfortable in their own skin, just as we would like to be able to integrate all of our personal struggles and successes into the successful and whole people we know we are capable of being for the sake of our community and the betterment of our lives.
