By Autumn Dawson
After 17 years, America’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy may finally be coming to an end. In President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, he declared his intention to let gays and lesbians serve in the military without being asked to hide their sexual orientation.
Following the president’s address, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the committee discussion, Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) voiced support for the removal of the policy in favor of allowing any person to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation, arguing that it would improve the military’s capacity in many ways. He also drew attention to the armed services need for translators of Arabic, Pashto, Urdu and other languages native to parts of the world where jihadist terrorism festers, and pointed out that 800 plus gay and lesbian translators that have been dismissed.
Following this, there were many opinions tossed around, both for and against the policy. Among the voices was Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who noted that in the 17 years since the policy has been enacted, America has experienced a significant change in attitude toward homosexuality in both civilian life and in the military. If the policy is rescinded, Gates said, the military will do its best to account for those whose attitudes are still behind the time, making sure to “minimize any disruption and polarization, especially on the front lines.” Gates pledged to make this the focus of the next year of planning.
As for myself, after hearing arguments from both sides, I think it’s worth pointing out language of the 1993 law before stating an opinion: “The extraordinary responsibilities of the armed forces, the unique conditions of military service, and the critical role of unit cohesion, require that the military community…exist as a specialized society…characterized by its own laws, rules, customs, and traditions, including numerous restrictions on personal behavior that would not be acceptable in civilian society.”
Basically, the goals and ideals American’s cherish are not always compatible with the military’s mission. Unlike our great nation, the military that protects us is not a democracy. There is no constitutional right to be a soldier. Millions of patriotic Americans cannot join the armed services for any number of reasons—my husband, for medical reasons, is one of them. Any argument for ending the ban on gays in the military should not be based on notions of fairness, equality or a general distaste for discrimination.
Obviously, there are issues with the current law. And clearly there are many gays and lesbians wanting to wear the uniform of the United States armed services. Personally, I believe we should let them—just not at the expense of military readiness or unit cohesion.