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Loading ...Neff: Destroy destructive ādonāt ask, donāt tellā
The U.S. Army last week released new data showing that suicides in the service branch in 2008 climbed for a fourth consecutive year and reached the highest level since 1980.
The rate is higher than the national average.Army brass promised to work across all jurisdictions and commands to reduce the number of suicides by doing more to identify soldiers at risk and to intervene to help.
The Army, in its press statement, said there must be a concerted effort to eliminate the stigma associated with seeking mental health care.
There must also be an effort within all branches of the military to eliminate the stigma associated with being gay. Top Army officials could start with supporting a repeal of the ban on openly gay servicemembers.
This, of, course, is not the only action the military must take to help soldiers and their families as the nation comes to the end of a long and costly war in Iraq and a different approach to the war in Afghanistan. I recognize ā though I canāt know or comprehend ā the many difficult situations, circumstances and stress that soldiers face.
But eliminating ādonāt ask, donāt tellā will eliminate a policy that can lead to tragedy for a soldier and a soldierās family.
The American Psychoanalytic Association recently adopted a resolution calling for Congress to repeal the policy: āAPsaA recognizes and abhors the many detrimental effects the policy has had on individual servicemembers, the military and the United States society since the enactment of Title 10, section 654 in 1994. Years of psychological research and experience have shown the extensive mental toll of keeping oneās sexual orientation hidden. Mandating a ban on self disclosure of sexual orientation for personnel in uniform is thus unnecessarily harmful to their mental health and well being.ā
The argument for banning gays from being open about their sexual orientation is that being out somehow threatens troop morale and military effectiveness.
Studies have shown otherwise, and gays serve openly in the Armed Forces of other countries without detriment to unit cohesion or readiness.
The APsaA points this out in its resolution: āEmpirical evidence, as well as comparative data from foreign militaries and domestic police and fire departments shows that when lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are allowed to serve openly there is no evidence of disruption.ā
The Army, in announcing its suicide data last week, stressed the importance of helping soldiers build skills to improve relationships and strengthen resiliency.
Yet the Army and the other service branches continue to operate under a policy that destroys relationships, weakens resiliency and forces servicemembers to hide from others in their unit and lie to the command, their government, and their country.
That cannot be sound mental health policy, but it has been military practice for years ā 15 years of ādonāt ask, donāt tellā and many, many more years of an outright ban on gay service.
Some strategists say that now is not the time to push for a repeal, that the climate in Washington is delicate, that more pressing matters are before Congress and the new administration.
But no, now is the time.
A majority of the public supports a repeal.
A growing number of retired military officers support a repeal.
The majority leaders in the U.S. House and Senate support a repeal.
President Barack Obama supports a repeal. The Web site www.whitehouse.gov, states, āThe president will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.ā
Weāre celebrating a new beginning, and it is time to repeal a destructive policy that causes mental anguish to those who must live, train, fight and possibly die in the closet.
Isaac…you are a fool and sound more like the late Charles Moscowitz the socialogist the Pentagon hired who was the author of DADT.
The DADT policy “creates no substantive nor procedural rights” What part of this disclaimer at the very end of the written policy don’t you get?
At the drop of a hat without a scintilla of evidence more importantly without any due process of law or even under the administrative procedure act the homosexual witch-hunters have run amuck same as before the policy was implemented.
The status quo of discharging gays never changed only the perception of how they do it albeit the propaganda that the media spewed about that johnny allegedly told and ignoring the facts of the cases…
Such as Johnny was beaten and locked in a closet and not let out till he pissed himself and confessed Hmmm sounds like torture to me
“DADT was not a positive change, like Iāve said before, it was just a political measure but it didnāt make things better for gay people in the military, they still have to lie and hide who they are JUST AS before.”
Todd,
You’re missing my point. I’m going to post this one last time in order to try and make myself clear, and then I’m done with this topic.
For years I have been a vocal opponent of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”. I believe it is an abomination to have men and women fighting to defend a country with a Constitution that guarantees that everyone has the right to pursue happiness, but have that same country deny them that same right.
I don’t like war and wish we had no need for the armed forces, but we do and so the men and women who risk their lives to serve should be given the same rights as the people they protect – if not more rights.
However, while “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” is an abomination, it was a positive step forward from what existed before, in the sense that what existed before was active persecution and “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” implemented a policy of passive discrimination.
Before it was implemented soldiers could be arrested and interrogated on suspicion of being gay. After it was implemented evidence was required before action could be taken against a “gay” soldier, and if no evidence existed then soldiers were free to serve unless they disclosed their sexuality.
“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” is an oppressive policy, it is most certainly not a GOOD policy, but it was an IMPROVEMENT, if only a marginal one.
You are right when you say that gays essentially found themselves in the same place – denied the ability to express their sexuality in any way. However, they were protected from the witchhunts and brutal interrogations that happened before “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” designed to “weed out” the gays in the military.
In short, before DADT they would go looking for gays, and after they would only act if you disclosed or they had evidence of homosexuality. The situation regarding being gay in the army didn’t change – and that was the next step that should have been taken.
Unfortunately, Clinton lacked the will or the political might to do anything regarding the military after “settling” for “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, and the guy who came after him was hardly inclined to do anything about it.
A baby-step was taken with “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”. It was not, as you describe, a “middle ground policy” – it didn’t even come close to the middle ground. All it did was move a little closer to it.
Please don’t think for one second that I have been defending “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” here. I haven’t and never will. All I will do, however, is acknowledge that it was a marginal improvement on what existed before it, and the time has come to relegate this particular abomination to the history books.
No waffling on this..Simply put Obama By Executive Order can strike down DADT and by Executive Order strike down the provisions of the so called U.C.M.J. dealing with Consensual Sodomy.
If the Joint Chiefs don’t like tough! Give them their pink slips they can go flip burgers at McDonalds. More than overdue to reign-in the Pentagon and their blind supporters who live in la la land on this matter and end this arcane myth that “homosexuality is incompatible with military service” the root behind 10USC654. They have gotten away with perpeuating this evil charade at the costs of many lives and careers notwithstanding they have flushed down the toilet millions if not billions of taxpayer $$ for tooooooooo long in “homosexual witch-hunting”
DADT allows gays to be gay. Just not act on it… Love the sinner hate the sin? How very Christian. Don’t Ask… Don’t Tell… Don’t Harass… Don’t Pursue… If someone that is not the commander bothers you because he/she suspects you are gay. You have redress now to the command to have them disciplined. You are now protected from harassment due to DADT if you choose to complain. I think that’s really the only good thing that came out of it and it’s probably never used.
It is time to repeal DADT. NOW! Or I wont reenlist… and I have over a decade of military funding in my training and experience. I’m done. I will no longer fight for people that will not fight for me… and rather… fight against me.
One thing I would say is wit until you’re in the same situation and then say that it was agreat step in the right direction. To think of it, If you ask someone, you are in a way, violating the policy. The military is full of homophobes, and many people who are gay and bi that serve choose to and in some cases, have no choice to look past that. With unemployment as high as it is, and when you’ve been doing something for so long, and had decided to make an entire career of it and retire, what else is that? As they say, the military is not for everyone. However, and once you get enough of the B.S., it’s time to let it go; just as long as the person has a plan once they seperate. For those of us that serve, all we can do is remain optimistic, ignore the ignorance and look at the big picture.
“You donāt think that made a difference? I do.”
No, because it’s still the same. If you read the actual law code people can still be investigated.
Have you read the actual policy regarding homosexuality and the armed services? If more people knew what it actually said and how inhibiting it is I think a lot more people, even straight people, would understand how outrageous and invasive it is. Right now people just think ‘Oh, you can be gay and in the military, just don’t tell anyone!’. It’s not that simple at all. You can’t be gay and in the military, THAT is itself a violation of the policy itself, it doesn’t matter if other people know or not, you are still in violation of it. It doesn’t matter if it’s private or not, on base or not – you just can’t be gay PERIOD for the entire time you are in the armed forces.
Imagine if straight people were told they could not attempt to marry or be married, they could not be in a heterosexual relationship, not have heterosexual sex, willingly participate in any heterosexual revealing behavior or admit to having such feelings – none of that even in their private lives, in order to serve in the armed forces?
They would think that is completely insane and intolerable! Yet that is what is expected of a gay person.
“It was a necessary step on the road to gays serving openly in the US military. After that step was taken, attempts should have been made to take the next one. They werenāt, and as a result āDonāt Ask Donāt Tellā went from being a step in the right direction to a vile piece of discrimination.”
That’s WHY it wasn’t good in the first place! You want mediocre treatment then establish mediocre policies.. It’s a lot easier to stop positive progress by enacting middle ground policies because it doesn’t warrant as much need or sympathy for change because it’s not as ’serious’ anymore or ‘needed’ when people are willing to accept something less.
DADT was not a positive change, like I’ve said before, it was just a political measure but it didn’t make things better for gay people in the military, they still have to lie and hide who they are JUST AS before.
It’s a ‘go nowhere’ policy.
Clinton got cornered and settled for this policy that makes such discrimination enforceable and a continual burden on a soldier serving who might be gay.
TANK,
I don’t wish to engage with you further. Please stop addressing your comments to me.
ROTFLMAO! How, Isaac, was DADT a step in the right direction? HOw was it even a step closer to gays and lesbians serving openly? How was it an improvement on the outright ban in terms of discharges and treatment?
“Now explain to me again how DADT is helping?”
I didn’t say that “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” helped anyone. I said it was a step in the right direction, a step towards allowing gays to serve openly. It was a step away from the blatant human rights abuses that were taking place before it came into effect. It was a step away from the humiliating interrogations military men and women were forced to endure if they were even suspected of being gay.
“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” meant that a gay man or woman could serve in the military without fear of persecution UNLESS they elected to express their sexuality. It wasn’t a great policy, I’m certainly not defending it, but anyone who can’t see the improvement from what existed before is a fool.
It was a necessary step on the road to gays serving openly in the US military. After that step was taken, attempts should have been made to take the next one. They weren’t, and as a result “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” went from being a step in the right direction to a vile piece of discrimination. The US government is finally making moves to change that. It has come far too late.
“It changed nothing. Gays still have to lie and hide who they are, just as they had to before DADTDP.”
If you honestly believe that, you need to do some reading. What existed before “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was a situation where serving men and women could be asked – and when the US military asks a question it rarely says “please”. Gay and straight men and women were subjected to brutal interrogations if there was even a rumour about their sexuality. “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” effectively put an end to that, and while it did not allow gay men and women to serve openly in the military, it did allow them to serve without fear of persecution…provided they ensured their sexuality was never discovered.
You don’t think that made a difference? I do. I think it was an improvement for gays in the military. I don’t think it was anywhere near enough. I think it is an abomination for any country to refuse to allow the soldiers that defend it to pursue happiness openly. However, it was a step in the right direction and it did make a difference, albeit a small one.
Isaac,
“Semantics. Gays are perfectly welcome to serve in the military as the law currently stands. They are simply not allowed to serve OPENLY in the military, and if their sexuality is discovered they can be discharged from duty.”
It’s semantics to say gays are allowed to be in the military so long as nobody knows they are gay to begin with..
See how nonsensical that is?
The military code clearly states that a person cannot be openly gay ANYWHERE at ANYTIME. It doesn’t matter if they are physically on base or off base, it doesn’t matter where they are, private or public life. A person is not allowed to engage in same-sex activities or admit to having a propensity and willingness to engage in homosexuality activities, EVER, ANYWHERE, AT ANY TIME, while they are serving in the armed forces. Like I said it doesn’t matter if they are in reserve, if it’s private, or off base.
I know that sounds crazy but it’s true.
And again, the code also states that a person while in the armed forces cannot be married to or attempt to be married to a person of the same sex.
Now explain to me again how DADT is helping?
If the military will discharge a person for being gay, you can’t say the military allows gays to serve because clearly it does not.
It’s like saying the military allows foreign spies to serve, so long as the military doesn’t know a person is a foreign spy..
See, same convoluted logic.
Remind me again how DADTDP helps people? How does a gay person use DADTDP in their defense without in the process revealing they are gay to begin with?
All it did was ease political tension, but it didn’t help gay people. It just verified that gays are bad and should not serve if discovered. It changed nothing. Gays still have to lie and hide who they are, just as they had to before DADTDP..
“Isaac, gays and lesbians want to serve for the same reasons as anyone else. One of those reasons is the opportunities in careers and education that military service affords. Those opportunities are being denied to gays.”
JayC,
Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. I don’t care why people choose to serve in the military. I respect their choice to do so and believe that they should be free to serve openly. If a person is good enough to risk their life protecting your country, you should show them respect by allowing them the same right to pursue happiness that everyone else (theoretically) has.
“Gays are not allowed to serve in any of the armed forces. Why do you keep saying that?”
Semantics. Gays are perfectly welcome to serve in the military as the law currently stands. They are simply not allowed to serve OPENLY in the military, and if their sexuality is discovered they can be discharged from duty.
It is unfair, but it is wrong to claim that gays CANNOT serve.
“DADT did nothing to help gay people in the armed forces. It was just a political move to make gullible gay and straight people think something positive was done because.”
Nonsense. “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” put an end to the witchhunts that were common in the US military at the time, whereby serving men and women would be interrogated by military police if an allegation was made that they were gay or a senior officer had suspicions. It reduced the risk of active persecution for suspected gay/lesbian men and women.
I’m not going to try and claim that “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was something wonderful. It wasn’t. It was a baby-step towards allowing gays to serve openly in the military, and after it was taken nothing further was done. It was a step that needed to be taken, but one that the military should have moved past long ago, and probably would have had Bush not been in office.
Isaac,
Gays are not allowed to serve in any of the armed forces. Why do you keep saying that?
If you look at the actually policy regarding homosexuals/homosexuality in the armed forces it clearly states that homosexuals are not allowed to serve.
You can’t have a same-sex partner regardless if it’s private or not, regardless if you are on or off base, in reserve or not. To do so would be in violation of the armed force’s policy regarding homosexuality. Having a same-sex attraction and willingness to act on it is also a violation of the policy.
You also cannot marry or attempt to marry a person of the same-sex. That is also a violation of the military’s policy regarding homosexuality. It’s literally spelled out!
All of that still exists and REGARDLESS of DADT..
DADT did nothing to help gay people in the armed forces. It was just a political move to make gullible gay and straight people think something positive was done because.
Isaac, gays and lesbians want to serve for the same reasons as anyone else. One of those reasons is the opportunities in careers and education that military service affords. Those opportunities are being denied to gays. Being gay carries a stereotype of being well-educated and well-heeled. We shouldn’t be furthering that stereotype.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was a step in the right direction, a step towards allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the military, but the next step should have been taken long ago.
Part of me has to wonder why any gay or lesbian would serve in an army that does not welcome them with open arms. I have never understood that mentality any more than I can understand gays embracing religions that condemn them. I respect their decisions, but I could never belong to any organisation that didn’t accept me as I am.
Still, if gay people are allowed to serve in the military, as they have been allowed to do since the introduction of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, if they’re going to be allowed to risk their lives defending their country, it’s about bloody time their country showed them the respect they deserve.
Forcing a person to hide who they really are, imposing shame on them, is extraordinarily cruel, and when you think that this is happening while they fight to protect their country, it’s barbaric. Let’s hope that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is replaced with a much more open and sensible policy, as it should have been long ago.
If they republicans were sane, they would realize that it’s time to dump That Ol’ Time Religion if they don’t want their party to disappear. However, Senator Mitch McConnell’s latest statements indicate that is not the case. He is so egotistical, that he thinks the republicans did not lose because of their political positions, but only because people didn’t understand them. Get a clue republicans. We understand, and we still reject you!