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‘Gay’ is no dirty word in other countries’ militaries

                 For those that argue that openly gay and lesbian soldiers in the military hurt cohesiveness among the general population of those in the United States Armed Forces may have surprising evidence for the opposing view. While the United States was celebrating our nation’s independence and thanking our own men and women in uniform for protecting our country while 12,000 service members have been dismissed since 1994 because they violated the controversial policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell”, Britain’s openly gay service members marched proudly in the Pride London parade, which celebrates Gay, Lesbian, and bisexual members of Britain society. In Israel, arguably one of the toughest militaries on Earth, two gay service members were featured on the cover of an army trade magazine hugging each other. These countries are not an uncommon occurrence, with many countries passing laws that allow gay and lesbian individuals to serve in the military. An article in USA Today lists Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Uruguay as all having policies that allow openly gay members to serve. 

                Democratic Representative from Pennsylvania Patrick Murphy is citing this information to gain support for a bill that he submitted that would repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. His argument is quite simple. If having openly gay members in the military really does harm cohesiveness, create lower morale, or cause a distraction, why is this not occurring when those gay soldiers in other countries serve? And why has this not happened in the case of Americans who service alongside British soldiers in places like Iraq and Afghanistan when some of these soldiers may be gay? He states, “I take is as a personal affront to our warriors. To say that other countries’ soldiers are professional enough to handle this and American soldier’s aren’t is really a slap in the face.” 

                While many still stand behind the policy, it does seem as if it is falling out of fashion. Some that are committed to national security were outraged to learn that Arabic linguists, positions very important in the War on Terror, were being discharged because of allegations of being openly gay or lesbian. These individuals were very necessary, especially considering the War on Terror is not a war on a particular country or on the Islamic faith, but one in which those responsible for the threats to the security of the United States have to be found, often by beginning a dialog with the people who inhabit the same area that members of the Taliban do. Overturning the policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell” may not only be the right thing to do, but a necessary one as well.

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