Don't Ask Don't Tell

I am for the complete removal and repeal of this Clinton-era law. Doing so would remove a political barrier wrongly imposed on the armed services that unduly paints us bigoted. An article from gayrights.change.org assumes and implies that the 13,000+ people who were removed from service for breaking DADT (Don’t Ask Don’t Tell) were indeed all homosexual... false. I know of a few specific examples were letters of request for administrative separations (confessions of homosexuality) were submitted because that service member did not want to go to Iraq or they thought the training was too tough, and DADT was an easy way out. One poor recruit separated successfully (using DADT) in boot camp after his suicide attempt was fail (dismantled Mach 3 Razor to the wrists, kid wasn’t bright).

So if I personally know a few examples, odds are many others exist out of that 13,000. I shutter when I imagine people who would break their contract, possibly out of cowardice, are able to break their contract via a stealthy easy-way-out, let alone allow them to give the military a black eye for opposing their rights that they probably have no intention of acting upon. These types are better suited to add to the statistic of the 25,000 servicemen (source) who have deserted from 2003 to 2008.

Let me be clear, my ill feelings are only towards people who fake homosexuality after they get in just to get out, to the true homosexuals that discover this fact after they have joined, more power to you. I also have no ill feelings for those who join the military for one enlistment as a knowing homosexual, serve without disclosure, then simply do not reenlist… I know such people and they rock!

Now for my second reason to remove this policy and possibly the coolest reason ever… coed showering. Stay with me on this one. If you have seen the film Starship Troopers (1997), then you know what I’m talking about, this movie had the future of the military exactly right when they included the coed shower scene, this will be reality folks! DADT will eventually be repealed; it’s only a matter of time (sorry homophobes). After it’s removed then you will start to see same sex couples join the military together, go through training together, live in the same barracks-room together, and do many other things together that are currently forbidden to same-sex couples (because of gender separation policies). Therefore, after DADT is repealed, it is only a matter of time that heterosexual-rights groups come out of the woodwork and claim discrimination (fair is fair). Being the increasingly tolerant nation we are becoming, this will not last forever. You will eventually notice pressure placed on the Pentagon to remove said gender-based discrimination and to desegregate all boot camps, basic training, barracks rooms, and yes...



Even though I am for repeal of the 1993 federal DADT law, I also need to include a Con to the repeal that I don’t think has had enough coverage, if any. Currently a gay man cannot marry a gay man (for example), but, a straight man can’t marry a straight man either. You see the law’s language isn’t sexual-orientation based, it is only gender based. This means that if you repeal the law, you open the door for straight men to marry straight men (and of course straight women to marry straight women). Why would they do this you ask? Two words, contract marriage. It happens with male/female marriages, so surely it will happen in the same-sex world if allowed. A contract marriage is a term for when two people marry for the sole purpose of benefits, i.e. a green card, or in the military’s case, to obtain the benefit of added pay and to get out of the barracks environment (plagued by strict visiting hours, strict alcohol regulations even for non-minors, bans on sexual contact, limited personal space, and weekly cleanups that can be abused by power-hungry authorities). Contract marriages happen, and one could argue it wastes tax dollars and lowers morale, but it goes widely unpunished because it is near impossible to prove. If DADT is repealed, you are going to see the figures for low-rank-enlisted marriages skyrocket. Name one Private or Private First Class who wouldn’t love to get out of the barracks, go live in some apartment with his buddy, and get extra pay to boot. I’m not even going to go into how many woman those dudes could easily get (chicks love what they can’t have).

Despite the nonchalant nature of this blog, my view of this policy holds accurately and I do want to see it repealed soon. Disclaimer: my views do not necessarily represent the views of the US armed forces or the leadership therein. Besides, this is not a military policy, but a congressional policy forced on the military.