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08-23-08
The first assumption is an insult to the mental and moral strength of straight soldiers, and speaks poorly to the authority of the chain of command.
As to her second assumption, in the real world we all deal with the unwelcome possibility of being seen as sexual objects by people we work with, work for or who have any sort of authority over us. And the military is not the only place where people have to tolerate forced intimacy.
Civilized people who are committed to a fair, diverse and open society find ways to cope with these challenges that do not require the exclusion of whole categories of other humans. Why should gays be denied the opportunity to serve their country in the military because some straight soldiers would be uncomfortable?
Without question "don't ask, don't tell" was a bad policy. Sexual orientation should no more be a barrier to military service than gender, race or eye color.
—Cheryl Rampage
Chicago Tribune: Excluding gays
Elaine Donnelly's argument for the exclusion of gays in the military seems to rest on the assumption that straight soldiers are both incapable of controlling their impulses, either hostile or libidinal, and could not bear up under the strain of possibly being viewed as sexual objects.The first assumption is an insult to the mental and moral strength of straight soldiers, and speaks poorly to the authority of the chain of command.
As to her second assumption, in the real world we all deal with the unwelcome possibility of being seen as sexual objects by people we work with, work for or who have any sort of authority over us. And the military is not the only place where people have to tolerate forced intimacy.
Civilized people who are committed to a fair, diverse and open society find ways to cope with these challenges that do not require the exclusion of whole categories of other humans. Why should gays be denied the opportunity to serve their country in the military because some straight soldiers would be uncomfortable?
Without question "don't ask, don't tell" was a bad policy. Sexual orientation should no more be a barrier to military service than gender, race or eye color.
—Cheryl Rampage
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