How to Get Rid of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Can someone explain to me why overturning Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a good thing?  Do gay people really want to be able to take part in illegal wars that badly?  Personally, i would prefer to have a convenient out (no pun intended) in the case there is ever a draft again.I would suggest a better use of time than talking about overturning don’t ask would be to end the wars already.

Evan, I think you’re missing the point. I fully agree with you on not wanting to be a part of this countries war, however, there are some individuals that feel very strongly that it is their duty to do so. If these individuals are qualified to do the job, they should be allowed to do so regardless of their sexual preference. It’s about equality and having the option to be included in something that straight people take for granted.

If you don’t want sexual orientation to matter then why argue for the right to disclose it? It’s not like we’re talking about race. Why are personal relationships and lifestyles anyone’s buisiness?

normally I would agree with you curious, if I wasn’t a gay male myself. You claim we are not discussing race here.  But if that’s the case, then why are gays treated like a pimple on societies back?  If you met me in real life, you would NEVER know I was gay.  Most people have no idea, but as soon as I tell them, I am prejudged. This prejudging has lead to violence, and not just simple word flaming.. so tell me, if this isn’t a “race” issue, then why do you breeders (homos call hetero’s breeders) have such a hate for something that:a) is none of your businessb) doesn’t effect you personallyc) I pay taxes just like everyone else, where my cut?They have now classified homosexual behavior under natural behavior, since it occurs naturally in every aspect of life… other than babies being the sake here, wtf is the problem?

Curious – I think you’d find that most of these “disclosures” weren’t voluntary.

CURIOUS… personal relationships and lifestyles are not the business of strangers, but it usually IS common to share the details of one’s life with others around you who feel close to, people like neighbors and coworkers.  And I doubt that the vast majority of the servicemen/women who have been discharged due to DADT intentionally disclosed things that they knew would get them discharged.  It is stressful and demoralizing to have to hide intimate details of your life for fear that your livelihood will be forcibly ended!  The notion that DADT is good for our troops is just hogwash.

There are many parts of the armed forces that aren’t participating in illegal wars. Just as gays want the choice to marry, they want the choice to serve their country too.
What’s ridiculous to me is that they think “it (homosexuality) would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale,
good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of
military capability.”

Of all the things our soldiers have done, gays are a risk to the high standards of morale?

To Shannon’s point: Most are not discharged for intentionally disclosing their orientation, no. And according to a 2005 study, between a quarter of a billion and 1.2 billion dollars have been spent investigating, firing and replacing gay members of the military. So in addition to being discriminatory, DADT is yet also another strain on dwindling resources—our soldiers, and our taxpayer dollars.

Easy to get rid of this farcial political dump. Don,t allow homosexuals to serve period. From personal experiances most used it when they couldn’t hack the military life.So it was an easy way out. Lost time, mon ey etc.

As a hetero (and in response to Matt G. the term breeder is offensive to me, not all heteros have children) in the military I do not have a problem with gay people serving their country. My problem is with gay people throwing their sexuality in the face of everyone else. People get tired of hearing it. My biggest issue with gay people serving is that in a lot of places we may go, there are community showers and sharing of quarters. That would make me (and most people I know) uncomfortable. If a person were openly gay it would be like showering or sleeping in a room with someone of the opposite sex.

Sure there are numerous homosexuals (gays) serving in the military, there always and always will be. My problem is that taking away the don’t ask don’t tell policy is that it will have a drastic impact on the day to day operations of all armed forces, especially those combat arms branches of the army and the marine corp. I guarantee that voilence to openly gay individuals will increase and there will be less retention of enlisted personnell. This is one thing that should not change for any branch. I petition that the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy should stay in place and that by trying to push it through legislation would not be in t the best interest of the armed forces of the United States.

From a military perspective, it’s not about gay or straight or whatever.  The military doesn’t want someone who cannot control their sex life.  It’s not about their sexual orientation; such people endanger the group whether hetero, homo, pedo, whatever.  They endanger themselves and their units.  Whether the gay community cares to acknowledge it or not; the military soon discharges such people. Even if “Don’t Ask. Don’t Tell.” is overturned, people who cannot control themselves will soon be on the street.

Jerry, your comment makes me sick. Do you really believe that gay people can’t control themselves? I think that you honestly believe that all gay people think about is sex. well, you are wrong. Most of us don’t think about taking everyone we meet to bed. We want normal relations just like everyone else. You make it sound as if we would be having or thinking about sex in the middle of combat. You make it sound as if gays can’t be trusted to control themselves. Gays have been in the military for some time and it isn’t as if the armed forces have fallen apart. It is really a sin that 13,000 people were thrown out when the US is experiencing such a shortage of military personnel.

Jerry, I agree with Richard. Your comments are obviously based out of fear of the unknown. Which to you, are gay individuals. I imagine you’ve heard of Steven Green? Perhaps straight individuals should not be allowed in the military given the prime example set by Mr. Green. Just because someone is gay doesn’t mean they are out of control sexually. I’ve been with my partner for 2 years now, and haven’t stepped outside our relationship sexually during that time and have no desire to be with anyone other than her. Perhaps you can keep a more open mind when you stereotype.Kate, the world is a straight world. Think about the ads in magazines, commericals, and movies. How much of that is designed with a LGBT in mind? I would say far less then 25%. So, before you make comments about gay’s “throwing their sexuality in the face of everyone else”, please keep this in mind. It’s much harder to be in a world where you are going against the grain, then a world that is catered for you. Also.. As for that whole community shower business.. I think that’s a misguided fear. Just because someone is gay doesn’t mean that they want to fuck everyone of the same sex, and can’t control their desires.

In 1966, I was on the flight deck of the USS Kitty Hawk, attached to VA112 A4 Squadron. For some reason everyone had concluded I was QUEER, the term I’d hear for 9 months. No matter my protests that they were wrong, it was to no avail. I came close to being murdered on a few occasions, having all kinds of veiled threats made against me by even strangers in the ship’s company. Finally a group tried to get me TAD to an A3D going on a dangerous mining and recon mission over Hiapong harbour. I did not go. The plane flew in, laid the mine, pulled up and hit a mountain. I immediately put in for a transfer fo Photography School in Flordia since my degree was in Commercial Art ( and I had double vision, controllable when not stressed or tired from lack of sleep.) I got the school and as the ship pulled into the Phillipines, I was on my way to Clark AFB to go to USA. And before I could leave the ship, 12 deck hands nailed me in the ship’s passage way, I was held against the bulkhead while several SHIPMATES took turns pretending to hump on me. The only rationale I could get from these brutes for their actions was “…it’s a God Damn war, and if I get wounded, I don’t want your Damn blood in my body!” Back home, over time as A Navy Photographer on my resume, I ended up at Collins Radio Photlab ( by accident ), which was taken over by Rockwell International. My goal was too do the photo thing for 6 months and transfer to the Art Dept. next door. Ah, than came the Space Shuttle contract and I would never leave the Photolab till I retired 20 years later as the Manager. One has to have a death wish to be GAY ( as they call it now ) and wish to be in the Military. 2,500 men can create many teams, all working closely with each other, to ensure a FATAL accident. It’s my belief, based upon many undisclosed experiences, GAYS in the Military compromise important missions. I still stand behind the decisions for the Vietnam war. Just talk to Art Hawkins in our VFW Post about his experiences with what the NVA did too villagers at the bottom of the Mountain his fire base was on. It was no different than the Nazi’s death camps. Howard H Davis VFW Post 3530. PS. The Dept Of Navy never responded to my complaints years later.

Howard, it’s a shame that you were treated in such a way because people thought you were different. There’s no excuse for that. However, by allowing such a policy as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to continue, we’re showing America that it’s still not okay to be different. We’re saying that if someone is gay, they deserve to be treated in such a manner that is harmful, and unequal. Is this what we should be teaching our children? It is my view that if someone wants to fight for their country, they deserve every opportunity to do so, regardless of their sexual preference. Which, might I add, does not impede them from their job. Perhaps we should be looking at the problem of those who are straight inflicting harm upon those who are gay, instead of turning a blind eye and saying that gays should not openly serve.