Allies Say “Get Over It” To American Fears Of Military Gays

If we are to believe John McCain and others, if I were a soldier and walked into an American military barracks, apparently my mere gay presence would so disrupt the entire unit that our government would immediately fall into terrorists’ hands, leading to the end of the world.

Really?

American allies in the European Union are responding to this balderdash with a simple dismissal. Basically, Israel and the European nations that have gays openly in military service have seen it as only positive, a sign of social progress. In the USA, this has occurred once before in a similar fashion, when African Americans and other ethnic minorities were integrated into the American military during WWII.

If McCain and his bunch think gay people are that powerful, why would he not want us in the armed forces in defense of our Constitution and Country? These strange anti-rationalists need to breathe deeply and accept that civil society is opening up to  lesbians and gays, albeit slowly at times and at other times with break-neck speed. The latest CNN poll shows that for the past three years,

surveyed Americans reported that approximately 80% were supportive of having gays serve openly in an integrated and stronger-for-it military. Public discourse, however, has ranged from the absurd to the sublime.

As a known peace activist, I have more faith in the everyday Jane and Joe GI  who are apparently more open-minded than are our own leaders. You would think these reactionaries and regressives had never heard of the Sacred Band of Thebes, of which gay men say

an army of lovers cannot be defeated

We have been in the military forever, yet when lesbian or gay soldiers must conceal themselves from their own leaders, the very honor of our military institutions is at stake. The American vision says that there is great power where there is inclusion. The courage to embrace all Americans in the military will strengthen us and dumping DADT is a good first start.

Let’s trash Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell into the dustbin of history, where it belongs.