In the craziness of on again/off again politics surrounding the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, it has surprised me the rhetoric does not sound familiar to many. If one looks back at the arguments against allowing women in the military one will find there is nothing new under the discriminatory sun. Arguments ranging from "military preparedness" to "troop morale" were cited repeatedly to stop what was the inevitable: honorable and courageous women serving our military in various capacities, both in the field and off.
While there are still pockets of the military and society that might disagree with women serving in our armed forces the "consequences" are clear: our military did not become weaker or more vulnerable. Those who made the argument persuasively and demanded action decisively to promote women in the military did so because they knew it would only make our military better.
There will always be those uncomfortable with alternative sexual orientations. However, the fact a man is attracted to other men does not effect his ability to establish a satellite link, repair a jet fighter or pull a trigger. The knowledge a woman is attracted to other women does not effect her ability stitch up a comrade, pilot a helicopter or throw a grenade.
There is no evidence of one's sexual orientation negatively effecting military practices. The truth is that homosexuals (as in other arenas) have performed admirably throughout the history of the military. Unfortunately, we may never know of those individuals and their contributions because of the past necessity of hiding sexuality. By once and for all ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", and some of the narrow minded fundamentals behind its initial inception, history can begin recording the heroic stories of men and women from the LGBT community serving in our military ranks.
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