If you can bear with me briefly, we're going to play a game. I'm going to give you two lists of countries, and I want you to use your instinctual gut reaction to determine in which of the two groups the United States more appropriately fits. Ready?
Group I: Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Spain, Brazil, United Kingdom
Group II: Cuba, China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela
I'd be interested in hearing which list you chose, as well as the criteria by which you made your decision. I hope I'm not incorrect in saying the majority of you chose the first group. After all, in the first list, there are no communists, no terrorist-harborers and no pariahs of the United Nations. Now, what would you say if I told you the United States belongs in Group II?
In the case of gay men and women serving in the armed forces, the United States is stuck with a cluster of nations not exactly renowned for their civil rights strengths. However, this may soon change. In the State of the Union speech last week, President Obama pledged to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy, the 1993 compromise that prevents extensive investigations of homosexuals in the military but stops short of letting openly gay and lesbian soldiers serve. Just this Tuesday, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of Defense Bob Gates announced to the Senate Armed Services Committee that they supported a new policy in which sexual orientation would no longer be grounds for dismissal or exclusion from the military. This is an enormous and fantastic step for gay rights in the United States. According to the 2008 Williams Institute study from the University of California, Los Angeles, there are an estimated 65,000 lesbians, gays and bisexuals in the armed forces. Additionally, a 2003 Urban Institute publication reported there are more than one million gay and lesbian veterans. Just as poignant is the shift in public opinion, which has been tracked by The Washington Post since the DADT law was first enacted. The number of Americans who support the acceptance of openly gay people in the military has increased from 44 percent in 1993 to 62 percent in 2001 to 75 percent in 2008. These statistics provide two heartening inferences. The first is the overwhelming amount of lesbians, gays and bisexuals already in the military. These are Americans who are choosing to conceal part of their inherent identity just so they can defend their country. To me, that suggests a patriotism that transcends all the petty arguments about sexual orientation going on in Washington. It is also crucial to remember the breadth of the military's endeavors: the armed forces employ not just soldiers but linguist — including those fluent in Arabic, which is imperative given the current wars — intelligence experts and medical workers. Steve Ralls of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said it best, "The military can't afford to lose these people, dozens and dozens of well-trained men and women who would ordinarily be doing their job."
The second deduction is that the American public is showing a trend toward greater acceptance and social consciousness. Will the public opinion toward gays in the military change completely overnight, or even over the span of a year? Of course not. But the fact that the percentages continue to rise indicates that as we learn more, our tolerance increases. As we start to recognize that love comes in many forms, our acceptance grows. As our nation matures, we become more steadfast in our knowledge of the truth that one's sexual orientation does absolutely nothing to deter his or her patriotism or military performance.
Other strong nations have paved the way. Israel, with one of the most revered military systems in the world, has allowed homosexuals to serve in all of its branches — including special units — since 1993. The United Kingdom's armed forces strictly forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation, and simply require gay and lesbian members to abide by the same "no-touching" rules that apply to heterosexual men and women. Israeli consul David Saranga said, "It's a non-issue. You can be a very good officer, a creative one, a brave one and be gay at the same time."
The United States needs to finally show its appreciation to our gay men and women in the military. Congress needs to repeal DADT and replace it with a new nondiscriminatory policy. Only then can we truly cross this hurdle of injustice in the armed forces. Since DADT was put into law, more than 10,870 military personnel have been discharged because of their sexual orientation. It is time to tell them we were wrong, but it is also time to tell them we are making things right.
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