Day Thirty-seven: There Are No Homophobes in a Foxhole

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little drunk. Then again, the last two or three posts I wrote I was more than a little drunk. It is always interesting and slightly encouraging to me when I read a drunken post I do not remember and discover that not only is it coherent, but that it has relatively few typos. It's a small victory, but these days I take them where I can get them.

Speaking of victories, let's talk about Don't Ask Don't Tell and the fact that the vote to repeal it finally passed this week. It's no secret that many gay servicemen and women have been openly defying DADT in the military. It's also no secret that a certain percentage of Americans are against gays openly serving in our armed forces. As someone who is married to a career Army officer I can tell you that it's not a big deal to many military personnel, but that there are also a number of current soldiers and officers that are against the repeal. So the issue for those serving really isn't all that clear-cut and it's likely to cause some static for a while. I expect there to be a widely publicized claim of molestation against a gay service member or outright rape of a lesbian or gay soldier/marine/seaman/etc.

There are not likely to be quick and completely smooth transitions as people are complicated and when you add religious and emotional beliefs to the equation, it's likely to get crazy. What I can tell you, is that as a straight, civilian woman, I don't care who the fuck is joining up, as long as it's not me. Never a big fan of the military, I do at least understand the necessity for a large military and possible draft pool. Still, if anything ever goes down where I am encouraged to join up, my ass is going to be in Canada or Mexico.

It amazes me just how many people against the repeal of DADT are not of eligible age or circumstance to serve. It really makes me wonder what exactly their problem is. Are they willing to do a tour in Afghanistan or Iraq instead? I'm guessing not and yet every Christian Conservative wanker feels the need to jump in on this debate. If you are willing to risk your life for country, more power to you, because I'm certainly not going down that path. I'm not entirely sure why anyone would want to serve in inhospitable circumstances, but I am grateful they do. The gay men and women who are currently serving or will enlist in the future are asking for trust. Trust that they can and will do their job to the best of their ability when the rest of us will not step up.

It is unlikely, in my opinion, that a combat soldier will prove incapable of fulfilling a job he or she signed up for simply because of whom they choose to love. Should we not be thanking them for their service and willingness to serve rather than criticizing -- or in many cases -- crucifying them for those most personal and intimate decisions? How many Christian or Conservative leaders encourage their own straight children to serve? I don't know the answer to that, maybe it's a similar percentage as the general population, but on the other hand it seems that parents that do not have an economic need are not overwhelmingly thrilled about the prospect of their children serving. So then maybe we should focus on the gratitude we need to feel that someone else --someone other than us-- is willing to put their life on the line for country and freedom.

Being a (mostly) heterosexual woman does not make me any more capable of defending my nation and it is ridiculous to think that being gay will make someone else less capable or more of a distraction. Talk to a soldier who has been in a firefight and I'm pretty sure they will tell you that in that moment they aren't thinking about the sexual orientation or other personal beliefs of the guy/girl fighting next to them. Just as they say there are no atheists in a foxhole, there aren't racists or homophobes either, because in that one moment it's all about survival and doing your job. So if we train a gay soldier the same as we train a straight one, what we have in the end are not gay and straight soldiers, we have a well-trained military unit.