Top uniformed officer: Gay ban should be lifted

[Darnell 8,480]

I had heard the 'report' on BBC radio yesterday - I thought was quite strange for a General to be making comments - usually is some political reason so to do, but I could not understand his backstory for being called in for the hearing. My failing, I guess - I've not done any serious research about 'why' or 'why not' to both include and label 'gays' in the military.

My personal bias is easy - the 'formation' of artificial lifestyle always happens in the military. This artificial lifestyle is 'automatically biased' towards heterosexual men. Allowances were made for 'heterosexual women' as well.

To be 'openly gay' in the military skews this artificial lifestyle, much. The greatest fear (again, IMO ) is that the presence of openly gay military members skews any 'operational readiness' and 'combat effectiveness' metrics. In a nutshell, how 'combat ready' can a straight male be, as a groundpounder troop, if he has to worry about possible homosexual advances? It's been that 'same issue' all this time, whether it's mentioned this year, or expounded upon in hearings, etc etc, blah blah blah. It's always the same issue.

Sure, the approach on 'don't ask, don't tell' was done to try to maintain this artificial lifestyle, but ..

After some years of it all, someone or a collection of someones, is making a different opinion -

'don't ask, don't tell' - doesn't work.

Now, whats to happen for the 'openly gay' person in the military? There are lots of answers, but is only 'forward looking' statements.

If you've not been in the military, and this is something that you support, I suggest that you get active with joining in the coalitions to support openly gay service members.

If you've been in the military, and don't want to see this go down, then I suggest you get active with joining in the coalitions to suppport 'no gays in the military'.

I sense will be a 'dividing topic' in the USA this year and next - and certainly a topic here on VJ to be filled full of visceral comments, one liners, attempted homophobe slurs, etc etc.

A good bottom line, though - is that IF it is possible to 'acclimitize' all gays in the military, so that they can be OPENLY GAY in the military and still maintain the 'artificial lifestyle' that Military Life Requires - then I say go for it - otherwise, ban them for inclusion.

It may be that the 'rear action' specialities can take advantage of openly gay men and women - you know - cooks, hospital staff, operational prep staff, but IMO will only be a stop-gap measure, and will 'exclude' a homosexual man from being a groundpounder (no, that's not a pun, damm|t).

I don't lean one way or the other - I only acknowledge it's an issue, and that there are two possible outcomes. To suggest to keep 'don't ask don't tell' is specious, at best - because of all the documented cases of it 'not working'.