I'm performing research on what people think about "Don't Ask Don't Tell". Do you agree with it or not, and why? Whatever your story is I want to hear it, the cool thing is you can leave your comments anonymously. This is a tolerant blog so please be respectful of others.
City Police Told Air Force That Sergeant Was Lesbian TIMBERLY ROSS | 03/13/10 09:35 PM
Jene Newsome played by the rules as an Air Force sergeant: She never told anyone in the military she was a lesbian. The 28-year-old's honorable discharge under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy came only after police officers in Rapid City, S.D., saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told the nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Newsome and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against the western South Dakota police department, claiming the officers violated her privacy when they informed the military about her sexual orientation. The case also highlights concerns over the ability of third parties to "out" service members, especially as the Pentagon has started reviewing the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law.
Back when I was 18 I joined the Air Force. When I joined I never gave the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy a side thought. I was a stellar Airman winning awards for outstanding perfomance even going as far as winning rank earlier than usual, which is pretty rare in the Air Force. I partied I hung out with friends, and many of my friends were gay...it wasn't until I was 20 that I realized I was gay too. I had started dating a woman in secrecy. No matter how affectionate I wanted to be with my girlfriend outside of work, we had to keep it a secret because we both loved being in the Air Force. Eventually we ended up going our seperate ways and getting out of the military for various reasons, but I really feel like I should have been able to serve openly in the military. If I was willing to die for my country why wouldn't my country let me date someone just because she is the same sex?
I believe that your sexual orientation should not matter when applying for ANY job. I also think that most people are becoming more and more comfortable around homosexuals as they realize the obvious, that THEY are human beings too, just like me and you. It's those ignorant, intolerant people that seem to have the loudest, most obnoxious voices that ruin the experience for everyone. Unfortunately, there are quite a few ignorant, "macho" people in the military that could potentially threaten those who are openly gay. I would fear for them when encountering those types of people. Ideally, I will say YES, you should be able to be openly gay and in the military, and Bless You for your service to your country! The caveat being, "watch your back" for the select few who could potentially harm you for being true to yourself. I, for one, am TRULY proud of ANY American who is willing to fight and potentially die for their country!!
I believe that Don't Ask Don't Tell should be removed as a policy, because it's too specific in addressing an issue. Don't Ask Don't Tell states that if someone does X action, in this case have relations with members of the same sex, you will remove them from the military. Policies such as this that specifically outline consequence when dealing with X action, in my opinion, are too narrow and eliminate the ability for objective review of the situation. It's a growing problem among not only government but also companies, too many over constrained policies and not enough subjective procedure when dealing with situations. I would rather see the military take the stance on homosexuals that if their homosexual choice effects their performance or professionalism in any way, there will be consequence, just like their would be for say drug use. However if them being a homosexual has no negative impact on their performance as a member of the military, it will have no effect on their treatment my peers and superiors. Furthermore, mistreatment from peers and superiors on the issue will be dealt with appropriately. Please feel free to provide feedback on my stance.
To Anonymous - I see your point in that the military sort of "singles out" homosexual "actions" being X action. But, I think the question here is that, "Is homosexual action (being X action), or being openly homosexual, a valid/fair reason to not be allowed in the military?" I don't think being openly homosexual will negatively impact that persons performance, just because they are openly gay. I would be more concerned with other people's RE-actions to those who are openly gay. They may not be a part of the "good ole boys club", which unfortunately invades the military. They may be MADE to feel like they don't fit in and may not receive the same benefits/favoritism that others get. I envision a lot of sexual harassment type issues being a problem... possibly. I think instead of getting rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, maybe we should REDEFINE it. Instead of "I'm openly gay, I am now no longer allowed in the military." It should be, "I'm openly gay, but what do you care. It shouldn't matter. You shouldn't have to ask me that (Don't ask). And, I don't have to tell you. (Don't tell). And, if I do tell you... so what. I'm just as much a valued military member as the next person." I don't know... just my opinion... I still say YES, people should be allowed to be themselves openly, and be allowed in the military.
Sorry if my post was confusing, I am in no way saying that homosexuals should not be allowed in the military, I fully support homosexuals in the military and in all facets of society.
What I was referring too is that the military has this special policy for homosexuals, that they don't have for other things. I think the best way to explain this is through examples.
Example A: Sally and Sarah are lesbians, and they have a perfectly heathly relationship that in no way negatively effects their performance in the military.
Don't Ask Don't Tell would say that they need to be removed from the military provided it was revealed they were in a relationship. I personally think there is nothing wrong here, and they should be allowed to continue normally.
Example B: Larry and Moe are in a homosexual relationship and in the military. They often have normal relationship confrontations in front of others while at work (in the military).
I think this is wrong, not because they are homosexual, but because their actions are effecting their professionalism at work. It does not warrant them being kicked out, but simply a lesser punishment for the unprofessionalism. With Don't Ask Don't Tell, they would be removed from the military, when if it were a heterosexual relationship they would simply be punished for unprofessionalism.
Example C: Sally is an alcoholic. It effects her personal life, however she is never drunk/hungover at work.
The military does not have a policy saying alcoholics need to be removed from the military, even if their alcoholism is not effecting their work. This is a hippocracy in military policy. They have one policy regarding someones person life (Don't Ask Don't Tell) that effects the person even if there is no impact on their performance. They do not have policy's for other facets of life (the example I used in alcoholism is just one of many). The military/government and society in general needs to be aware that policies should be as unspecific as possible. The moment a policy is too specific, the policy is over-constrained and at great risk of being unethical, as is the case of Don't Ask Don't Tell.
7 comments:
Why not? Isn't this law a bit archaic. I remember when I was in there were serveral people I worked with that were gay. It didn't bother me.
City Police Told Air Force That Sergeant Was Lesbian
TIMBERLY ROSS | 03/13/10 09:35 PM
Jene Newsome played by the rules as an Air Force sergeant: She never told anyone in the military she was a lesbian. The 28-year-old's honorable discharge under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy came only after police officers in Rapid City, S.D., saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told the nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Newsome and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against the western South Dakota police department, claiming the officers violated her privacy when they informed the military about her sexual orientation. The case also highlights concerns over the ability of third parties to "out" service members, especially as the Pentagon has started reviewing the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law.
Back when I was 18 I joined the Air Force. When I joined I never gave the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy a side thought. I was a stellar Airman winning awards for outstanding perfomance even going as far as winning rank earlier than usual, which is pretty rare in the Air Force. I partied I hung out with friends, and many of my friends were gay...it wasn't until I was 20 that I realized I was gay too. I had started dating a woman in secrecy. No matter how affectionate I wanted to be with my girlfriend outside of work, we had to keep it a secret because we both loved being in the Air Force. Eventually we ended up going our seperate ways and getting out of the military for various reasons, but I really feel like I should have been able to serve openly in the military. If I was willing to die for my country why wouldn't my country let me date someone just because she is the same sex?
I believe that your sexual orientation should not matter when applying for ANY job. I also think that most people are becoming more and more comfortable around homosexuals as they realize the obvious, that THEY are human beings too, just like me and you. It's those ignorant, intolerant people that seem to have the loudest, most obnoxious voices that ruin the experience for everyone. Unfortunately, there are quite a few ignorant, "macho" people in the military that could potentially threaten those who are openly gay. I would fear for them when encountering those types of people. Ideally, I will say YES, you should be able to be openly gay and in the military, and Bless You for your service to your country! The caveat being, "watch your back" for the select few who could potentially harm you for being true to yourself. I, for one, am TRULY proud of ANY American who is willing to fight and potentially die for their country!!
I believe that Don't Ask Don't Tell should be removed as a policy, because it's too specific in addressing an issue. Don't Ask Don't Tell states that if someone does X action, in this case have relations with members of the same sex, you will remove them from the military. Policies such as this that specifically outline consequence when dealing with X action, in my opinion, are too narrow and eliminate the ability for objective review of the situation. It's a growing problem among not only government but also companies, too many over constrained policies and not enough subjective procedure when dealing with situations. I would rather see the military take the stance on homosexuals that if their homosexual choice effects their performance or professionalism in any way, there will be consequence, just like their would be for say drug use. However if them being a homosexual has no negative impact on their performance as a member of the military, it will have no effect on their treatment my peers and superiors. Furthermore, mistreatment from peers and superiors on the issue will be dealt with appropriately. Please feel free to provide feedback on my stance.
To Anonymous - I see your point in that the military sort of "singles out" homosexual "actions" being X action. But, I think the question here is that, "Is homosexual action (being X action), or being openly homosexual, a valid/fair reason to not be allowed in the military?" I don't think being openly homosexual will negatively impact that persons performance, just because they are openly gay. I would be more concerned with other people's RE-actions to those who are openly gay. They may not be a part of the "good ole boys club", which unfortunately invades the military. They may be MADE to feel like they don't fit in and may not receive the same benefits/favoritism that others get. I envision a lot of sexual harassment type issues being a problem... possibly. I think instead of getting rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, maybe we should REDEFINE it. Instead of "I'm openly gay, I am now no longer allowed in the military." It should be, "I'm openly gay, but what do you care. It shouldn't matter. You shouldn't have to ask me that (Don't ask). And, I don't have to tell you. (Don't tell). And, if I do tell you... so what. I'm just as much a valued military member as the next person." I don't know... just my opinion... I still say YES, people should be allowed to be themselves openly, and be allowed in the military.
Sorry if my post was confusing, I am in no way saying that homosexuals should not be allowed in the military, I fully support homosexuals in the military and in all facets of society.
What I was referring too is that the military has this special policy for homosexuals, that they don't have for other things. I think the best way to explain this is through examples.
Example A: Sally and Sarah are lesbians, and they have a perfectly heathly relationship that in no way negatively effects their performance in the military.
Don't Ask Don't Tell would say that they need to be removed from the military provided it was revealed they were in a relationship. I personally think there is nothing wrong here, and they should be allowed to continue normally.
Example B: Larry and Moe are in a homosexual relationship and in the military. They often have normal relationship confrontations in front of others while at work (in the military).
I think this is wrong, not because they are homosexual, but because their actions are effecting their professionalism at work. It does not warrant them being kicked out, but simply a lesser punishment for the unprofessionalism. With Don't Ask Don't Tell, they would be removed from the military, when if it were a heterosexual relationship they would simply be punished for unprofessionalism.
Example C: Sally is an alcoholic. It effects her personal life, however she is never drunk/hungover at work.
The military does not have a policy saying alcoholics need to be removed from the military, even if their alcoholism is not effecting their work. This is a hippocracy in military policy. They have one policy regarding someones person life (Don't Ask Don't Tell) that effects the person even if there is no impact on their performance. They do not have policy's for other facets of life (the example I used in alcoholism is just one of many). The military/government and society in general needs to be aware that policies should be as unspecific as possible. The moment a policy is too specific, the policy is over-constrained and at great risk of being unethical, as is the case of Don't Ask Don't Tell.
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