I wrote this post for BlogHer a couple of weeks ago, but my overworked/slacker self didn't post it here until now!
The Department of Defense has not handled Don't Ask, Don't Tell well.
In case you've been living under a rock, DADT is the official military policy on gays and lesbians in the military. Under federal law, gays are prohibited from openly disclosing their sexual orientation while serving in the U.S. armed forces. Make no mistake. Gays are definitely serving in the military right now. They just have to lie to everyone about a fundamental part of their lives to do it.
That's wrong. Even top brass in the military agree that DADT is wrong.
The House and Senate were poised to legislatively end DADT this year, but Secretary Gates asked them to give the Department of Defense time to study the issue. Now, I'm a huge fan of research, but I don't see why a mammoth study is necessary to do the right thing. I understand that issues will arise, but I don't necessarily think that they'll be quite as complicated as the DoD thinks.
As part of the DADT study, the DoD surveyed service members about their feelings. Yes, their feelings! It's almost as if the DoD seems to think that repealing DADT will result in gay pride parades on bases across the U.S. and soldiers sashaying across the battlefield. That gives the term “battle buddy” a whole new meaning, doesn't it? But seriously, it's not like military uniform regulations will be changed to allow pink feather boas and sparkly tiaras with BDUs. Nor will love pats on the rears of fellow service members or shower love play suddenly become OK. In actuality, nothing much about military culture is likely to change.
In an effort to make sure everyone has a chance to air their views, the DoD also surveyed military spouses about DADT and gays in the military. You read that right. They surveyed the spouses! Never before has the military consulted spouses about DoD policy in this manner and the questions were ridiculous, nearly equating being homosexual with having typhoid or leprosy. I'm just waiting for the survey of our pets' feelings on Sgt. Gus and his partner Bob being allowed to bring their poodle to the base dog park.
Read the rest of this post on BlogHer.com.
