by Heather Foster

Created on: September 22, 2010   Last Updated: September 24, 2010

Has anyone considered that the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ rule might just be a safety protocol to keep gay individuals from being killed by their fellow soldiers? It is already considered a morale issue for soldiers because ‘straight’ individuals often feel uncomfortable around ‘gay’ people, especially when they are openly displaying their sexual proclivities. There is also the issue of ‘recruiting’ by gay individuals to gain more partners in their activities.

Regular military barracks have improved over the decades to the point of soldiers mostly having private sleeping quarters, except in war zones. However the restroom and shower facilities are somewhat less private. This makes for some discomfort under ‘normal’ circumstances. Add to this the openly gay individuals sharing those facilities and the levels of discomfort rise exponentially.

Imagine being a ‘normal’ male soldier, showering in the open showers of a military base and knowing that the openly gay soldiers are watching and assessing the ‘normal’ man’s physical attributes, to the point of making comments about that person. His private parts become topics of discussion, speculation and assessment by the gay individuals. How is that ‘normal’ soldier, or ‘straight’ as the terminology might be used, to feel about this activity?

Allowing openly gay individuals to serve in the military is fine if we want to provide them with special treatment and exclusive barracks only for those people. The financial cost alone would be huge, much less the cost in morale and basic dignity of the other soldiers serving. Giving special dispensations to individuals based on their sexual proclivities, or any other aspect of life, in the military, is costly in more than just monetary terms.

Soldiers are expected to work as a team, respecting individuality within the team without any one person commanding attention for their individual expectations. There is no ‘I’ in the word TEAM and there is a reason for that phrase. A team is composed of individuals that work together as a cohesive unit to accomplish the goals set before them. One person, and their perceived needs, cannot be allowed to take precedence over the main objectives of the team. This means that they must all be focused on the main objectives first, placing their personal problems and desires much further down the list of needs of the team.

So, should the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ rule be repealed? Absolutely not! It becomes not only a morale issue but a safety issue for all the troops, not only for morale, but both mental and physical health and the ability to work together as a team. It only takes one person being disruptive to damage the ability of a team to function properly as a unit.

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