01-05-2011, 06:54 PM
As a gay man, I think all of this speculation about gay soldiers attempting to seduce straight soldiers, fear of sharing showers,requiring public disclosure of sexuality, creating separate residence facilities, etc. is just crazy talk. It's my understanding and/or assumption that the military (like every other employer) has rules and regulations about sexual harassment. If a gay soldier crosses the line, he gets discharged. As for straights being uncomfortable with gay brothers and sisters in arms (no pun intended), I'm sure straight soldiers, like all other workers, are sometimes obligated to work with people they don't like, don't respect, don't agree with, etc. I'm sure some gays won't like some straights either. And the solution in the military, like everywhere else, is "get over it and do your damn job!" The idea of gay men being unable to control themselves when seeing other naked men in showers or bunks is absurd...do straight doctors of both sexes have to hold themselves back when conducting physical exams or surgeries on naked patients of the opposite sex??? And finally, I find the idea of "recruiting" to be an interesting concept -- as if gay people have a mission to convert as many straights as possible to our team. Besides, why should straight men recruits feel any more threatened or disgusted by an expression of interest than I do on the many (yes, trust me, there have been many...) occasions when straight women have expressed an interest in me? Yes, a soldier may indicate interest in another soldier (male to female, or same sex), but if there isn't a sexual orientation match, things are not going to go very far. And, as I mentioned earlier, if the pursuer crosses a line, disciplinary consequences already in place should suffice.
Gays have been in the military as long as humans have been throwing rocks at each other, and the experience in many of our modern day allies forces is that gays and straights can co-exist and fight together effectively. There will be many areas that need to be ironed out (like survivor benefits for the partners of gay soldiers...), but all the "dropped soap in the showers" fears should be the least of our worries. I have tremendous respect for the brave men and women of our armed forces, and I firmly believe that at the end of the day, this change in policy will have as many negative repercussions as the February tsunami. (Do I get extra credit for wrapping in the Hawaii reference???)
Gays have been in the military as long as humans have been throwing rocks at each other, and the experience in many of our modern day allies forces is that gays and straights can co-exist and fight together effectively. There will be many areas that need to be ironed out (like survivor benefits for the partners of gay soldiers...), but all the "dropped soap in the showers" fears should be the least of our worries. I have tremendous respect for the brave men and women of our armed forces, and I firmly believe that at the end of the day, this change in policy will have as many negative repercussions as the February tsunami. (Do I get extra credit for wrapping in the Hawaii reference???)