Reign wrote:

I actually agree with DADT and think its a fair compromise. If soldiers are there to serve, then their sexual orientation really shouldn't be discussed - period. Man just do your fucking job. I don't need to know about the details of your life.

So you think that it's okay that straight soldiers can talk about what they did on the weekend, their families and spouses, who they're dating etc, but gay service members should just shut up and do their jobs? You really think that that fosters unit cohesion, and trust amongst the soldiers?

Sexual orientation is displayed in a lot of subtle ways that gay and lesbian soldiers have to be very careful of. You talk about your significant other, and have to change the name from "Steven" to "Stephanie," and change all the pronouns from "he" to "she" and from "hers" to "his." You don't put up pictures of your close loved ones, or share them with anyone else. You guard closely what you post on "Facebook."

It seems to me, from your naive comment, that you expect all the gay men and lesbians who are currently serving, if allowed to open about their sexual orientation, are going to start, I don't know, copulating in the mess tent and wearing high heels to morning reveille. It's just not like that. It's about being able to serve one's country while at the same time having the right to be open about one's life. It's about feeling security for one's career without being afraid that others are constantly looking over one's shoulder.

Judge Phillips ruled that DADT is actually HARMING the cohesion and morale of our troops. You should read her decision, and read the testimony from some of the servicemen and women who took the stand. Perhaps that will guide you to a better understanding of what this is all about.

Forgiveness_Man wrote:

I don't necessarily support keeping gays out of the military, just that sexuality in general be kept out of it.

So in a sense, I support the idea of don't ask, don't tell. I don't support firing somebody if it does come out, but straight or gay, they're not there to discuss their sexual orientation so regardless of which gender they prefer, they should just keep it all back home. The military isn't a place to be gay or straight, it's a place to be soldiers. If you are gay and want to be a solider, more power to you. If you are straight and want to be a soldier, more power to you. Just check your sexuality at the door until you get back.

So you think that straight service members should be restrained from speaking about their husbands and wives and families? You think that when a straight serviceman is shipped off to the Middle East, his family should not be allowed to see him off? Or greet him when he comes home, hopefully safe and sound?

A message from Lady Gaga to the Senate Sept 16 2010

RobbieFTW wrote:

A message from Lady Gaga to the Senate Sept 16 2010

Not much of a public speaker, is she? Sounded like she was high.

While I personally have no interest in joining the military, I feel a great deal of both respect and sorrow for those brave souls who have sacrificed so much for a country that has told them that they aren't good enough.
For the people who have had to lie when asked, "Do you have someone waiting back home for you?", for the people who have had to watch happy families living in married housing while they must never see the one they love, for the people whose significant other had to stand at a distance to see them off while the straight couples kissed goodbye, for those who never received messages from the ones they loved while on extended tours of duty because their significant others knew that such messages would mean immediate discharge, for those who have been surrounded by homophobic rhetoric, but couldn't say anything for fear of causing suspicion, for those who have had to cut an entire half of their world out of their lives for the duration of service in order to serve their country.
You see, sexuality, or sexual orientation are horribly deceptive terms. They don't simply refer to who you have sex with. They also influence who you love, who you share your life with, who you burst with pride for when they succeed, and who your heart breaks for at the very thought of them in pain of any kind. It decides who your family is.
All of this is what homosexuals are forced to sacrifice in order to protect their country. This is something that no heterosexual would ever be asked to do. Yet many homosexuals do this. Their sacrifice is so great, and so unnecessary, and yet they fight, are hurt, and die for the very country that treats them so.
They are heroes if ever there were any, and they deserve better.