Today marks the end of
the Clinton-era policy "Don't Ask Don't Tell" or DADT, which barred
service members from being openly gay. To be clear, it never barred
gays from enlisting and serving, but they could and would be discharged
from service if they ever came out. That's over now. I say good
riddance.
Most of you probably have one of two reactions, because issues like this generally breed strong feelings one way or the other. You might be happy. Some of you are probably very angry. I will confess to you that I've always been largely ambivalent about DADT. I've never supported the policy, but I never really put a lot of effort into denouncing it. I've always thought it stupid; just as I've always thought making a big deal over someone's sexuality to be rather stupid. Or the color of their skin. Or how much money they made. I figure it's best to judge someone by their virtues as a human being rather than some categorical notion. I guess I never saw what the big deal was. Why does it matter if someone's gay or not, and how does that effect their ability to serve our nation?
The fact is, I'd never had any gay friends, or people I knew to be gay who served. So I never actually experienced the effects of this policy. It was one of those things that affect other people. You know the feeling, I'm sure. While I was in Germany, however, I met a gay service member. He became a valued friend, and even though we'd disagree on some issues, he was always interesting to talk to, and always interested in my point of view. One night at a party, he came out to me. I told him that I didn't give a shit that he was gay. We were drinking after all, so while my choice of words might sound dismissive or harsh, they were not. I was honored that he confided something in me that he was not allowed to publicly say.
I shall not lie and say that I never suspected, because I did. And while I was suspecting, I began to think of the issue in more personal terms. Here was a man who was a honorably serving his country, had a sharp mind, was a good writer, and took his responsibilities as a leader seriously. But he couldn't be who he was, because to do so would have effectively ended his career. My friend had to pretend that he wasn't gay. Gay. Something that affected nothing as it pertained to his job. He wasn't pretending to have an arm when in fact he didn't. He wasn't pretending that he he was physically or mentally fit. He was gay. He was something that conveyed neither special advantage nor disadvantage. It just was.
My friend came out today. It's all over the news. He has shown great moral courage; both today and in preparation for today. Can you imagine the moral courage it took? Have you ever had to exhibit such moral courage? My guess is that you've never had the opportunity, and if you have you probably failed. Moral courage is hard. I'm sure he's heard it from all quarters, but I'm proud of him. And I'm proud to call him a friend.
I have great faith in the professionalism of my brothers and sisters in uniform. Despite this, I have a feeling that many of my brothers and sisters will be looked upon differently today by their fellow service members, my friend included. They might even be looked at differently than they were yesterday. And this might even continue tomorrow and the next day and so on. It is my hope that professionalism and dedication to the service of our great nation will allow bigotry and false judgment to melt into the background. We are joined by that uniform; we are made a family. We are joined by service and self-sacrifice and common goals. We share these things regardless of personal preferences. Is it not our service that is supposed to guarantee us all the freedom of personal preferences? E pluribus unum? Homogeneity may be comforting to the weak of mind, but it is boring and self-limiting.
Let us judge the capacity and ability to serve by the honor of an individual's service and not by race, creed, sexual orientation, or some other arbitrary category which only serves to separate us from one another rather than bind us together.
**As always, I encourage discussion and dissent and I hope that you opine. I also hope that if you choose to do either, you'll do so professionally, intelligently, and logically. You're welcome to ignore my request; I will not delete or moderate comments but will let them rest on their own merits. As you may know, I believe the greater power of the First Amendment lies not in allowing you to say whatever you wish, but in its ability to expose fools.
Most of you probably have one of two reactions, because issues like this generally breed strong feelings one way or the other. You might be happy. Some of you are probably very angry. I will confess to you that I've always been largely ambivalent about DADT. I've never supported the policy, but I never really put a lot of effort into denouncing it. I've always thought it stupid; just as I've always thought making a big deal over someone's sexuality to be rather stupid. Or the color of their skin. Or how much money they made. I figure it's best to judge someone by their virtues as a human being rather than some categorical notion. I guess I never saw what the big deal was. Why does it matter if someone's gay or not, and how does that effect their ability to serve our nation?
The fact is, I'd never had any gay friends, or people I knew to be gay who served. So I never actually experienced the effects of this policy. It was one of those things that affect other people. You know the feeling, I'm sure. While I was in Germany, however, I met a gay service member. He became a valued friend, and even though we'd disagree on some issues, he was always interesting to talk to, and always interested in my point of view. One night at a party, he came out to me. I told him that I didn't give a shit that he was gay. We were drinking after all, so while my choice of words might sound dismissive or harsh, they were not. I was honored that he confided something in me that he was not allowed to publicly say.
I shall not lie and say that I never suspected, because I did. And while I was suspecting, I began to think of the issue in more personal terms. Here was a man who was a honorably serving his country, had a sharp mind, was a good writer, and took his responsibilities as a leader seriously. But he couldn't be who he was, because to do so would have effectively ended his career. My friend had to pretend that he wasn't gay. Gay. Something that affected nothing as it pertained to his job. He wasn't pretending to have an arm when in fact he didn't. He wasn't pretending that he he was physically or mentally fit. He was gay. He was something that conveyed neither special advantage nor disadvantage. It just was.
My friend came out today. It's all over the news. He has shown great moral courage; both today and in preparation for today. Can you imagine the moral courage it took? Have you ever had to exhibit such moral courage? My guess is that you've never had the opportunity, and if you have you probably failed. Moral courage is hard. I'm sure he's heard it from all quarters, but I'm proud of him. And I'm proud to call him a friend.
I have great faith in the professionalism of my brothers and sisters in uniform. Despite this, I have a feeling that many of my brothers and sisters will be looked upon differently today by their fellow service members, my friend included. They might even be looked at differently than they were yesterday. And this might even continue tomorrow and the next day and so on. It is my hope that professionalism and dedication to the service of our great nation will allow bigotry and false judgment to melt into the background. We are joined by that uniform; we are made a family. We are joined by service and self-sacrifice and common goals. We share these things regardless of personal preferences. Is it not our service that is supposed to guarantee us all the freedom of personal preferences? E pluribus unum? Homogeneity may be comforting to the weak of mind, but it is boring and self-limiting.
Let us judge the capacity and ability to serve by the honor of an individual's service and not by race, creed, sexual orientation, or some other arbitrary category which only serves to separate us from one another rather than bind us together.
**As always, I encourage discussion and dissent and I hope that you opine. I also hope that if you choose to do either, you'll do so professionally, intelligently, and logically. You're welcome to ignore my request; I will not delete or moderate comments but will let them rest on their own merits. As you may know, I believe the greater power of the First Amendment lies not in allowing you to say whatever you wish, but in its ability to expose fools.
