“Don’t ask, don’t tell” has been a part of the military since 1993. The policy prevents openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people from serving in the U.S. military.
Now Congress is considering overturning the 15-year-old policy, creating quite a stir, even within our seven-person editorial board.
We believe the policy was created in order to protect homosexuals in the military, but, at the same time, the policy discriminates against the group it was established to protect.
If a homosexual person in the military really wanted to make their sexual orientation known, is it fair to keep them from serving our country? Is it fair to ask homosexual soldiers to hide a part of their identities until they have completed their military careers?
We think not, but we must also consider the safety of these soldiers.
People across the country disagree on the morality of homosexuality, and there are certainly people in the military who have trouble accepting their fellow soldiers’ sexual preferences.
Before “don’t ask, don’t tell,” there were problems with homosexuals being ridiculed and beaten.
And although society has come a long way since the ‘90s in its acceptance of gays and lesbians, it still seems as if many people are scared of and confused by homosexuality. And sometimes people react violently to their fear and confusion.
Our entire board agreed homosexuals in the military should not be penalized for either saying they are gay or for saying nothing on the subject at all.
The choice should be made by the soldier, and the government should not be able to make them tell or keep them from saying what their sexual preferences are.
Soldiers who do choose to make their homosexuality open should be provided with some kind of protection to prevent violence from any closed-minded peers.
Our board could not agree on what type of protection would be best, but such things as surveillance in places where violence could occur and anti-hate crime policies that would be strictly enforced by superior officers were suggested.
We did agree no protective procedures can completely prevent violence against open homosexuals in military, but they would prevent at least some of the violence that would occur if no protection was in place.
Even if it means the military making some adjustments, gays, lesbians and bisexuals should have the right to be open about their lifestyles if they choose to be.
