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Memorial Day tribute to gays in the military
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In honor of Memorial Day, I want to recognize ALL members of the U.S. military, especially the 1000s who are risking their lives to defend a country that refuses to recognize their contributions.
As we reflect and pay tribute to the brave men and women of the U.S. military today, we should pause for a moment to give thanks to the soldiers that make the ultimate sacrifice while being ordered to live a lie. The policy of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell,’ in prohibiting gay service member from divulging their sexual orientation, serves to deceive and divide. If you want soldiers to spill their blood, they should be able to ‘spill the beans’ and live their lives with integrity and honor.
Gay military personnel are being discharged at a steady rate. 619 American troops were discharged last year based on sexual orientation. According to the Service Member’s Legal Defense Network there have been 214 discharges under the Obama administration. Many of these troops have specialized training, like Arab linguist Dan Choi. He is one of 54 Arabic translators discharged under this policy. The nation is involved in two wars. Our troops are spread thin in two countries where understanding Arabic could save lives, but we are kicking out an Arab linguist because he likes boys. That makes no sense.
20 of our closest allies have integrated gays into their ranks, including all of NATO other than Turkey. American troops work and live with these forces without incident. Every U.S. government service is integrated, including the paramilitary sections of the CIA that work in tandem with the armed services. The presence of gays in these organizations is a nonissue. The idea that our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines would have any greater difficulty adjusting is an insult to their professionalism.
Are there homophobic individuals in the military? Yes. Are there racists in the military? Yes. Are there sexists in the military? Yes. Nothing unites disparate people like facing a common enemy. Unite or die is motivational.
I wish people could look beyond facts to the underlying issues. I wish people liked history more. There was a time when biblical interpretation was used to oppress the African American community. Anti-miscegenation laws were often defended by invoking racist interpretations of the Bible, particularly of the story of Phinehas and the "Curse of Ham.” Racial mixing was considered akin to bestiality, an abomination in the eyes of God. Marriages were not recognized. The military was segregated, the opportunities offered were separate not equal. The argument that gays serving openly would degrade unit cohesion is similar to the argument put forth about African Americans in the past. The debate of rights becomes a distasteful cocktail of separate, but unequal. Does this sound familiar?
(1896) Plessy vs. Ferguson declared African-Americans separate but equal. The decision implicitly endorsed segregation giving rise to the "Jim Crow" laws. The word ‘equal’ was little more than lip service. This decision permeated every aspect of American life. Segregation became the norm and discrimination against African Americans intensified. The U.S. military considered African Americans to be of limited value. The attitude was that African Americans were undesirable. They were segregated, given the worst jobs, the worst housing, denied promotion and used as cannon fodder. This attitude did not change until after WWII. African American troops performed valiantly, as in all other wars. The difference is that they got positive press coverage. As a group they became more vocal, demanding equal treatment and actively promoting their contribution to American society. In 1942 the NAACP backed the Double V campaign, arguing that African Americans had to achieve "two victories; one on the battlefield and the other on the home front." Within a few years of the war ending in 1945, the US military launched an effort to end segregation within the ranks. Despite the prior adamence that soldiers would not be able to overcome their racial prejudices, to bond or to serve next to a black soldier, the military succeeded in integrating troops with a few year. By the early 1950s the US military offered African Americans greater opportunity than almost any other realm of society.
The common assumption seems to be that when a majority within society is opposed to a minority, it would be best to isolate and marginalize that minority. Black service members were segregated, whereas gay service members are asked to remain silent. The difference is based on visibility. The implied social expectation is that homosexuals, as a group, not readily identifiable at a glance, should remain invisible to circumvent prejudice. Essentially the government welcomes gays into the military, as long as they understand that the closet will be their home while they fulfill their contract.
If this is a contest to win the title of ‘most oppressed’ in American history, then I will acknowledge that, having endured 300 year of racial hatred, abuse and oppression, African-Americans are vying with Native Americans, for that inglorious title, rather than gays. It should not be overlooked that there are plenty of gay people imbedded in both groups.
Gays have been forced to stay in the closet, off and on, for thousands of years. At this point, the closet is stuffy and smells like funky shoes and moth balls. Being an 'invisible minority' doesn't change the importance of demanding equal recognition, opportunity and treatment under the law. The U.S. gay population cannot afford to internalize pious judgments based on theological interpretation of poorly translated ancient texts. Our nation is based on separation of church and state. If our reponse to attacks on our basic rights and liberties is to quietly allow isolation and alienation, then we are accepting our role as second class citizens. Silence is not an effective long-term strategy. It doesn't work. Everyone can't fly under the radar. Humans have big mouths and social taboos make for juicy gossip.
Follow me on Twitter: @MeanderingMuse
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