I've never been an outspoken opponent of the ban on gays in the military. Why rock the boat when I've got an easy way out of the draft? But now that age has become my exemption (if there were a war requiring a draft today, we would draft 18- to 25-year-olds), I think it's high time the military, if not the rest of the nation, acknowledge that gays and lesbians are every bit as capable of defending the nation in times of peril as anyone else.
Fortunately, I'm not alone in this thought. From the lead editorial of the Washington Post this morning:
The military wastes a lot of money making sure that gay soldiers are either deeply closeted or ex-soldiers. According to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office, the services have spent $190 million recruiting and training replacements for gay service members kicked out during the past 10 years. More than 750 of the 9,488 men and women discharged from the military during that time, moreover, "held critical occupations"; many had training in languages important to the war on terrorism. The gay ban, in other words, is as self-defeating as it is demeaning to people who want to serve their country at a time of great need. It is long past time for it to go.Opponents will say repealing the ban on openly gay soldiers is one more step down the road to acceptance of something that they can't abide--equality for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. And they're right--this would be one more big step in that direction. That's exactly why it needs to happen as soon as possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment