A not so new subject is coming up in the Military circles:  Gays openly serving in the US armed forces.  Here’s my take.

Bill Clinton was the notorious President who instated the “Don’t ask, don’t tell”  on gays serving in the military by executive order in 1993:

Sexual orientation will not be a bar to service unless manifested by homosexual conduct. The military will discharge members who engage in homosexual conduct, which is defined as a homosexual act, a statement that the member is homosexual or bisexual, or a marriage or attempted marriage to someone of the same gender.

Prior to this, the military had a complete ban non-heterosexual people serving in the armed forces.  The rational is essentially that it is detrimental to the “good order and discipline essential to the good working order of the armed forces.”

Current opinions based on my observations:

Largely it has been my experience that homosexuals do serve currently, and serve honorable not to the detriment of unit cohesion.  The only barrier to unit cohesion that exists is when people are closed minded and object to them serving.

Homosexuality has been a largely decisive issue.  The reasons are vast.  Some people don’t believe that homosexuality is natural.  I’m not here to argue it, however thousands of years of history across a great many cultures have experienced homosexual issues, either choosing to ignore it, or oppress it.  Others believe its against God’s laws.  There are numerous biblical passages both Old and New Testament that are interpreted to be anti-homosexual.  Therefore regardless of their motives, they believe in their set of values that homosexuality is wrong.  Now the ways in which they handle it are different.

Some people are inherently violent and intolerant in their views.  These are the people who are a detriment to unit cohesion.  The sexual orientation of service members has rarely (i can’t speak for a fact, but that i am aware of it hasn’t) been an issue as far as homosexuals assaulting members or otherwise being a problem.  Homosexuals are generally in fear of intolerance and know that their orientation is taboo, and therefore don’t want to attract the attention.

We all know people who are gay in the military.  I haven’t seen any issues arise in my years of service from gays being in the Army.  I personally just choose to recognize someone as a soldier and not by their orientation, color, culture, or creed.

Personally i don’t have any issue with gays serving.  I don’t think they should advertise it, just they same way i don’t go around telling everyone i like chicks.  Just let them serve, do their job, and keep an eye out for anyone who would discriminate based on orientation, either straights oppressing gays or visa versa.

So there ya go, who cares?  The ones who make the biggest issues of gays serving are the ones who can’t find a compromise.  The compromise is just letting them join and not taking any actions against people who are gay.

Like Chris Rock said (i’m paraphrasing) “Anyone who is willing to go fight in army and defend our freedoms…good for them.  i’m sure as hell not going to do it”