Sunday, May 20, 2007
Marine Capt. writes in support of gays in the military
And he does a pretty good job of it, too.
The common perception is that the “don't ask, don't tell” policy is necessary because straight service members will not be able to do their jobs properly if gay men and women are allowed to serve openly alongside them. Some people also say gay service members would not be able to control their homosexual urges. Proponents of this argument make it seem as if gay service members will immediately try to strike up romantic relationships with every man or woman within arm's reach.But the Corps being the Corps does what it does best. He has been relieved of duty and transferred to Okinawa. Capt. Josh Gibbs is taking this in stride as he seems to have already decided to leave the military.
Am I the only one who feels that, of all the arguments, this one is a little too chauvinistic? Or am I wrong to assume that no one, regardless of gender, could ever resist the allure of a man in a foxhole who hasn't showered in three days?
Why do we still cling to the as-yet unproven notion that if gay men and women are allowed to serve openly, unit cohesion and morale would suffer? This assertion is an insult to the professionalism of the U.S. military and an affront to our Constitution.
“Honestly, my military career will be coming to an end shortly,” by choice, the nine-year Corps veteran said.So everybody agrees, nothing to see here, let's move along.
“I was told, we don’t comment on policy, that’s not our job. That’s what I want to do — I want to be somewhere where I can make change happen,” he said...
....This experience has also pushed him in a new direction, he said. “I’m standing up for what I think is right. I’m obviously not in the right place. If I want to make a change, I need to be someplace else.”
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