Don't Ask, Don't Tell
posted by Mr. Carlisle at 2:53 PM
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
About Me
- Name: Mr. Carlisle
- Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
I'm a native South Carolinian and I attained my undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of South Carolina. I taught fourth grade for two years in the Mississippi Delta and two years at an alternative high school in Western North Carolina. I have been at Tigard High School since the fall of 2003, where I teach U.S. History and Psychology.
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15 Comments:
That's such a tough issue.
I'd say that openly homosexual people should be allowed to serve in the military. The problem is, some people in the service will have issues with knowing their "roomie" is gay. How can people's discomfort with something like homosexuality be helped? You can't make gay people sign something saying "I promise not to mack on anyone else in the service"
3:56 PM
This is interesting.
I am totally in support of this, people should never have to hide who they are. I can see how people would feel awkward with a gay roomie, but the soldiers and troops should have more important things to worry about. Like their own lives and duties.
4:04 PM
I think we should be mature enough to move past this new kind of segregation. However, I do see the problems it may cause. I think if an overt homosexual was allowed in the military, any inappropriate behavior would be treated much the same. I mean, the military doesn't really allow men and women to mingle except on a professional level anyway. But this does raise issues. Should there be seperate barracks for sexual preference?
5:08 PM
I believe that there is nothing wrong with allowing gays to serve in the army. I think that this should be strongly supported. Gays should have a right to choose what they want to do and they shouldn't have to hide who they are. It doesn't matter about their sexual orientation because its not like their being gay is a disease or anything. They are just as good as the heterosexual men and women serving in the army. I'm pretty sure that these soldiers have a lot more things to worry about such as how their family is doing and surviving so that they can reunite with their loved ones rather than "i'm sharing a room with a gay person"
6:28 PM
I like Admiral Mullen's statement: "[...} we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens." I think that when an individual with a true desire to serve his or her country asks for the opportunity, they shouldn't be denied. It will be interesting to see what the military determines will be the best approach to avoid alienating homosexuals and heterosexuals. Also, I would like to take a look at countries who have gays openly serving in the military and how they handle the situation.
7:43 PM
I've really enjoyed reading everyone's comments. Good stuff, please keep it up next semester.
8:00 PM
I think that that the homosexuals that are in the military should be able to decide themselves if they want to be open about there sexuality. I think that they should be able to be themselves and not have to hide who they really are just beacuse of what people think of them, they already deal with that anyways in their daily life. I think that other peope are just so worried about knowing that other people are gay because they automatically think if the person is open about being gay that they are going to hit on them... Gay's should be open about who they are and the other people need to be able to cope with it and get back to doing their job and worry about the more important things. But some people will make a fuss about it all, they always do.
8:12 PM
Sexuality should not be a factor in military recruitment. It is unfair to discharge an American soldier simply because they are a homosexual. Maybe a modified version of Don't Ask, Don't Tell could be used. Soldiers wouldn't have to state their sexuality when joining the army (because it's irrelevant), but if they want to, they can, and there would be no consequences like getting discharged from the army.
8:31 PM
So I guess get rid of the law. Because obviously, people can just not say what sexual orientation they are, or lie if they aren't prepared to come out of the closet.
8:32 PM
I agree with Mary, this is a tough issue. I think that in a perfect world, this wouldn't be a problem and we shouldn't have "don't ask, don't tell". Howecer, this isn't a perfect world and certain things, such as homosexuality, make some people uncomfortable. In the military, you need to be able to bond with the people you are fighting with, so I think that it should stay.
8:35 PM
I agree with the don't ask don't tell policy. Homosexual people are no less capable to serve in the military and I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be allowed to. However, if they are openly homosexual that would create a distraction and would likely cause discrimination against them, making cause for concern about sexual orientation and heightening it as a political issue. If someone wishes to serve their country they should be able too and the don't ask don't tell policy makes that possible. If they have to keep their sexual orientation private, that is one more sacrifice they should be willing to make.
8:49 PM
I think that the fact that they made a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the first place is not proper. But the fact that this is made an issue at all makes it difficult to change it quickly because of the controversial repercussions it might have on the atmosphere in the workplace. I guess, though, that this is necessary for the true equality of everyone involved and Gates and the other men fighting for gay rights in Congress are doing the right thing. And homosexuals should not have to hide a part of their identity.
Jane
9:47 PM
I think being open with sexual orientation is only going to help develop our country along in the end. We've tried to stop discrimination and segregation with race, and in doing so learned that ignoring the issue doesn't help. I think it's the same with homosexuality. The more people are around it, the more comfortable it will be for everyone.
9:48 PM
I believe gay people should be able to serve and I think this law does a nice job of protecting them. Often times they will get harassed by other men for their sexual orientation. But, I don't think that they should be discharged for "coming out", if they want to be open about it then that's their choice.
9:58 PM
At least for me, honestly, I don't see any reason to be uncomfortable around gay people. Its just like being around a not-so-attractive girl. Seriously. They might not even think you're cute. What's the big deal?? There shouldn't be anything between someone and them wanting to contribute to their country through the military.
10:02 PM
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