by Brian Kiley

Created on: May 03, 2010

I believe President Obama should not end the policy "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the military, and my reason for believing this has nothing to do with gay rights and everything to do with the logistical concerns that openly gay individuals in the military would present. 

The logistical difficulties presented by openly gay people in the military are many, and I will present a few of them here. First, there is the issue of assigning housing to such individuals. Should they be housed together? That doesn't seem right? Should they be housed randomly with other people of their same gender? That may make their roommates uncomfortable. Should gay men room with women? If so, I have a sneaking suspicion that all of a sudden there would be a dramatic increase in the number of military personnel claiming to be "gay".

A related concern is connected to the challenge of assigning gay men and women to long term security posts. The challenges are similar to those that effect the aforementioned housing difficulties. As it stands currently, men and women are not assigned to long term posts together (just the two of them). Who, then, are gay men partnered up with? None of the potential options seem appropriate. 

Another issue is the reality, however barbaric it may be, that at present the military is a place that is not accepting of homosexuals. I had a conversation recently with a friend who is a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, and he was deeply concerned at the discipline problems having openly gay men in his command would present. No matter how severe anti-hazing or abuse penalties were, he still believes it would be a couple of years, at least, until homosexuals would be safe in the military.

All of the aforementioned logistical concerns threaten to compromise the focus that military personnel are able to devote to other issues, thus it is preferable that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy remain in effect. It is unfortunate that homosexual persons are inclined to this sort of prejudice, but it is the reality of the military culture. I should add that I am a pacifist, so I don't believe that anybody should serve in the military, and I am a Christian who does not believe a homosexual lifestyle is God's design for humanity, but I also believe that homosexuals should be afforded the same civil rights that heterosexuals enjoy. In this case, maintaining "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is not about discrimination, but rather it is about the safety of homosexual persons, and the ability of military personnel to remain focused on the missions to which they have been assigned.

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