Unless you can tell me there are not enough qualified, willing and able hetero personnel to fully man our military, this bill has nothing to do with “Military Readiness” and everything to do with gay/lesbian equal rights. Lets call it what it is.

True it is about gay equal rights but don’t they have a right? If it’s been going on for years and all over the world (seemingly throughout Congress over the years as well), this shouldn’t even be an issue.

I never stated that I was for or against this bill (I don’t think I did anyway). I’m just tired of the spin the polititians put on the names of these bills to make them sound more acceptable to more people. Could you imagine someone being against a Military Readiness Enhancement Bill? On the other hand, being a veteran, I CAN imagine many being against a Gay/Lesbian Military Rights Bill.

I’m a veteran as well, and I am a heterosexual who knowingly served beside my gay brothers and sisters in uniform. And I am proud of their commitment to the nation we all love and stand for.

The military is not a social experiment; it should not be used as a platform to promote gay rights, so leave the law like it is. Gays DO have a right to serve under the present law.

Do you even know how many gay Soldiers and Marines have died for your freedom, you arrogant, hateful, biggot?

No, but I’m sure that once this legislation is passed, there will be a memorial built on the Mall in DC to let us know, as the military needs a memorial and “special day” set aside for all of the special interest groups serving in the military. I’ll tell you what: gays can serve openly in the military when I have the right to openly oppose that lifestyle. Based on your comment I can see that will never happen.

Yes gays do have a right to serve in the military, but only if they pretend to be something they are not. In practice, it doesn’t work much different than completely banning gays, since gays can just pretend to be straight. Heterosexuals are allowed to express their sexuality, homosexuals should be allowed to do the same. At this point in time, accepting gays in the military is as much a social experiment as allowing blacks to serve in the military. The majority of Americans are in support of gays in the military, it is time that the law reflected that.

What you have to remember is that many people in this country oppose the gay lifestyle; we don’t want to know who their lovers are, but many gays feel they have to let everyone know. The “in your face” aspect of this issue is what turns off a lot of people.

What you have to remember is that many people in this country oppose the straight lifestyle; we don’t want to know who their lovers are, but many straights feel they have to let everyone know. The “in your face” aspect of this issue is what turns off a lot of people.

That works both ways just so you know.

Not openly though and that is what they are trying to get approved. It’s not a matter of if we have gays in the military or not. I’m currently serving in the Navy so I know plenty of people who are serving that are “closted” gays, but I know that they also would like to be able to proudly bring the partners on the boat and show them around like they see all the straight couples doing. It does affect military readiness though. If someone is unhappy with something in their life they are most likely to not work as well as someone who is happy and open about themselves. If they are constantly having to hide the fact that they love someone of the same sex then they are worried about that and preoccupied with it. It causes distractions and then mistakes happen. I’ve seen mistakes happen first hand when people are distracted like this.

Your right. It’s not a social experiment. So let’s just drop all the restrictions and let them serve. It’s the restrictions that make this a social experiment. If they could just serve without worry than there would be no social experiment, it would just be having an army that can actually stand up next too our Constitution without fear.

Also, no they don’t. That’s like saying “blacks can serve in the military if they wear white face paint” or “women can serve in the military if they never get married”. Yes they can TECHNICALLY serve but only if they follow a set of requirements that are specific to them. The MINUTE you begin making requirements that are specific to only ONE sect of people, it becomes discrimination.

If there were laws where straight servicemembers were kicked out for ever hinting at their sexuality (that is, ever speaking of it, writing letters to their partners, talking to their partners over the phone, anything at all that might give away the fact that they’re straight). The most likely no one would care. But there isn’t. Sexual harassment is a huge issue BECAUSE straight people don’t have those limitations that are forced on gay people in the military.

Today (May 11th) there are 350 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan meeting Senators and members of congress in support of this bill.

As an honorably discharged Marine I am againt the repeal of don’t ask, don’t tell. I do not feel that military personel should have to share common “minimally clothed” areas (shower are , barracks, etc) with a person who has the “right” to find arousal and/or attraction to a person of the same sex. The most frightful thought is that one could be charged with a hate crime for repelling a gay who now has the “right” to express their orientation without predjudice. FYI I served in the early 1970’s. Back then gays were prohibited. That system worked very well.

I can almost guarantee there were plenty of gays serving right along with you; They were just in the closet.

Times have change, and yes we have to change with them. Gays and lesbians have just as much stake in our freedom as the rest of us, so they should have the same right to defend that freedom.

They do have that right; I just don’t what to know who they are sleeping with, yet many (not all) feel they have to let us know. This aspect is what turns a lot of people off.

The early 1970s also was the era of “fragging” other soldiers. It’s unbecoming for a Marine to employ this out-dated “I’m scared some queer will peek at me in the shower” argument, when 25 of our allies have had gay and lesbian service members serving with distinction and honor for more than a decade. Man up.

Those allies also have co-ed saunas and allow topless and nude sunbathing. But not here in the U.S. — oh no! That would be morally corrupt!

I understand that you might be uncomfortable knowing that guys might be attracted to you, but is it really any different than knowing that an extremely unattractive woman who you had no interest in at all was attracted to you while you were minimally clothed, such as at a beach? As long as you are not being harassed, it shouldn’t be an issue whether or not a person is attracted to you. As for your comment about repelling a gay man, I don’t think anyone would count repelling a gay man who was trying to rape you as a hate crime. This bill would give gays the right to express that they are gay, not the right to force themselves upon other service members.

Why is it that men and women are not allowed to live and shower together in today’s military? Privacy. I don’t think the men would care, but the women do. They don’t want men gawking at them, so to protect their privacy we have separate living and shower areas. So what about my privacy? If I don’t want a gay man gawking at me in the shower or in the barracks I have to just suck it up; is that “equal?”

There is a hidden agenda by the gay lobby that many people are missing – the issue of gay marriage. When the “Don’t Ask” law was passed gay marriage was not as big an issue in our country as it is now. The day after this law passes, the military will have to address the issue of gay marriage in the military, access to post housing, benefits, etc. This will be a divisive issue, particularly on small overseas installations. Additionally, will a marriage between a gay soldier and his German boyfriend be recognized if they PCS to Ft. Hood, TX? Texas does not allow gay marriage, and the military must conform to the laws of the state in which their bases reside. So this law is a back-door deal to get federal recognition of all gay marriages, military or not.

Oh boo hoo. People might get equal rights. What a travesty.

You know it’s people like you that opposed interracial marriage and eventually the courts realized that the majority isn’t always right. The same is going to happen here, one way or the other.