Comments on: Psychoanalysts call for end to military gay ban

By: Stefan

Stefan — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:06:05 +0000

Point: This is the Psychoanalytic Assn. not the Psychiatric Assn, so where are they too, not only on the Military but on the overall society’s conduct of silently approving of harrassment of gays as evidenced by no hate crime laws rezulting in murder with impunity forsuch persons as Stephen Moller who killed, hit and disconnectred the brain from the spinal stem of Sean Kennedy in SC and got 3 year sentence, up for parole. see: http://www.seanslastwish.wordpress.com

By: Lance Kuhns

Lance Kuhns — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:23:58 +0000

I too, have a gay male friend that served not once but twice in this ongoing war in Iraq.
We supported each other by email while he was in that hellish nightmare.
He hated Bush, we were so fearful of the Army reading our mails, I was more fearful for him being discovered, so I always stated to try and keep things non-sexual, but that wasn’t normal as we always joked about sex. He finally let go and let it loose, words, sexual fun… teasing, you name it..
I asked why he wasn’t keeping things clean? He stated: Shit, I’ve served once, now twice for my Country, If they are reading our Mails, I don’t give a “fk”…They made me promises they didn’t keep and Bush sucks, so I don’t care, if they don’t respect me because I’m “gay”, then fkem… By the grace of GOD he is now home in the US, In college to study law and serve on the Police Fource… Now the government is playing around with his college funding.. another promise broken! This guy has meant the world to me, going on 7 years of friendship!!!

By: SteveMD2

SteveMD2 — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:04:20 +0000

What this is about on the surface is not just our need for brave soldiers re Afghanistan, etc, but also teaching the str8 soldiers – so many who come from small conservative towns – that gay people are good people also.

But really, if you had talked to Darren Sanchez, and lots of other soldiers, gay and str8 alike, you would find out that 3 to 1, they only care that their buddies do their job, for everyone’s life depends on the other.

What this scene is really about is two fold – First of all, breaking the back of the upper, homophobic, old generation military brass, who if they don’t like ending DADT have the right to retire and get out, good riddance to them.

And the real big issue is that it will expose the total hypocrisy and hatred of the relgious right. People will see that in another great American institution, people who volunteer to be at risk of laying down their lives for their country, homophobia doesn’t fly.

And the bigots and their churches will be exposed as nothing but haters. Their money and even more so their power will disappear. That is what they fear. That is what needs to happen if we are to end the homophobic sickness which infests parts of our country’s soul

By: JayC

JayC — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:31:58 +0000

Gays and lesbians make up such a small portion of the US population. I think we’re far too rare and valuable to be wasted in war.:-)

By: Aiden Raccoon

Aiden Raccoon — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:14:26 +0000

Well, we do need all the help we can get from professionals who have no stake in our fate. To me DADT isn’t that important of an issue. Ya we do need it repealed, but going into the military is a choice and what would happen if all those tens of thousands of soldiers were kicked out right now. Even staunch conservatives would be begging for its repeal. How do you organize a boycott for the military though without looking like an unpatriotic ass?

By: Chris Sullivan

Chris Sullivan — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:13:29 +0000

Gerry – so a “licensed clinical social worker” is casting stones at “psychoanalysts”. Weird. What makes your views on this more valid, being a social worker and all.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:01:20 +0000

Not sure what type of psychoanalysis GerryFisher is referring to below, but relational psychoanalysis is far more common today and is a growing field. It’s not the traditional Freudian type. The field has evolved as there’s been a convergence between neuroscience, attachment, and psychology/psychoanalysis. Putting words to feelings does change the brain as the unconscious becomes conscious (sub-cortical to cortical). It’s partly the relationship with the analyst that’s the catalyst for change. Just close your eyes after you meet someone and you’ll see a picture of them in your head. That’s a simple example of how we impact one another.

Carry on.

By: Gerry Fisher

Gerry Fisher — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:27:12 +0000

You do know that, in the psychological community, psychoanalysts are the equivalent of abacus users, don’t you? Also, it’s ironic that they cite “psychological research” as a reason for ending DADT, and they have been *loathe* to submit psychoanalysis to the same kinds of scientific testing.

This was not worthy of an article, IMO.

(FWIW, I’m a licensed, clinical social worker.)

By: Neil

Neil — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:11:39 +0000

It is a good thing that a group of 3,300 asks Congress to repeal this repulsive law, but it is likely not enough people to actually quicken the process.

Such a repeal was in committee last year but was not allowed to come to a vote. The article says it will probably be refiled this year . . . but it hasn’t been filed yet. They will probably wait until it is too late to actually get through committee to the floor and so, conveniently, it will have to wait until next session.

That’s OK with Obama. From what I’ve read on this site, regardless of whether or not he would sign it when it reaches his desk, he is not planning on pushing for a repeal for at least a year anyway – maybe more.

Perhaps we ought to begin writing him by droves and add to that 3,300 number.

But, until I see actual progress, everything is rhetoric designed to placate us into continued silence.

By: anthony wagner

anthony wagner — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:07:18 +0000

I think this comes at a good time, people finally learning the reality that someone being Gay is akin to their having a certain hair color or preference of food…even some macho redneck aquaintences of mine don’t have a problem with me, if you win people’s respect on merit, you’re fine