by T. Lynn Wright

Created on: May 03, 2010   Last Updated: May 04, 2010

I read, in a dissenting piece on this topic, that the military should be held to a higher moral standard. The military is perhaps the most accurate cross-section of society that we have. There are soldiers, sailors, airmen, marine and Coasties from all geographical points, from all economic and ethnic backgrounds and, yes, America, sexual orientations. This is not the shady homophobic culture of your father's and grandfather's time. Yes, grandpa probably did serve with a number of homosexuals in the Great War, and they served honorably and discreetly without corrupting the morals and sexuality of their units. Culture has changed, and statistically, there's no basis for denying people in the military their personal freedoms. The military should be focusing its efforts to end abuses of power, such as the numerous reports of females being assaulted and mentally ill soldiers being treated cruelly.

Gay people do not want to convert others to their lifestyle. They want to live, openly and freely, just like everyone else. We have made greater strides in granting religious freedom, what, then, is the military leadership so afraid of? The fear is that homosexuality is in fact, immoral. It is based upon Judeo-Christian philosophy, which, frankly, has no place in a military force that defends a nation with a definite separation of church and state. Immorality is nothing new to the military. Find a large base and follow the troops downtown to clusters of bars, and in some, countries, the cheapest whorehouses you'll ever find. Drinking and whoring have been military traditions for centuries. But denying a man or a woman sexual freedom to love openly as most of their heterosexual counterparts is moral? I think not. Don't ask, don't tell is demeaning, cowardly and outdated. Those who serve deserve the same freedoms to work, to love and to live as others in the country they serve. In placing restrictions on their personal freedoms, we deprive them of the very foundations for which they fight and often die.

Repealing don't ask don't tell is long overdue. Our leaders must display the courage to move forward and demonstrate that they do believe in that dusty document that declares unalienable rights-life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If one sergeant chooses to marry a woman and live with her openly, then his co-worker deserves the same. Jack living with John isn't going to affect his ability to point the rifle or drive the tank. It might just reaffirm his belief that his leaders believe in Americans and in American military members.

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