Homosexuality in the US Military - Research Paper Example

The Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General James Amos expressed his concerns regarding the proposed changes in the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, changes that will allow gays to openly serve in the U.S. military. As quoted in a Time Magazine article from 11-22-2010, Amos warned “there’s risk involved” with a sudden shift in policy, especially in the light of war in Afghanistan. He pointed out that ending the ban could undermine combat effectiveness, particularly for Marines, who, unlike other personnel, often double up in private living quarters. (Time Magazine) He expressed the same assessment on numerous occasions with a firm belief that the government “should not lift the ban in wartime.”(Associated Press) Amos’s position does not come as a surprise. Associated Press reported on 11-27-2010 that the Marines are the “military’s biggest opponents of lifting the ban on openly gay troops.” (Associated Press). The same article cites Pentagon survey of 400,000 active duty and reserves that found that most of those serving in America’s armed forces have no strong objections to repealing the “don’t ask don’t tell.” At the same time, survey did find that the most significant resistance to repealing the ban is among members of the Marine Corps. Why Not? Amos’s position is, also, indicative of a way in which majority of uniformed military sees this highly controversial issue. While, Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff supports repealing the ban, along with President and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, many top officers agree with General Amos. Army’s Gen. George Casey and former Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway are staunchly opposed to” making any changes when the military is fighting large, protracted wars with its all-volunteer force.” (Associated Press) Back in 2007 General Peter Pace, a head of Joint Chiefs of Staff called homosexual acts immoral when answering a question from Chicago Tribune. He added that “military mission fundamentally rests on the trust…… and the homosexual lifestyle does not comport with that kind of trust and confidence. (Newsweek Magazine) Military officials say that the service chiefs worry most about a “cultural backlash and displays of intolerance that would make the military look as if it had lost control of its troops.” (www.navytimes.com) What Amos and other top Generals are saying is simply that this kind of change would require some major shifts in overall military culture, and that the military is not yet ready and it needs more time. They call for gradual changes and, also, for those changes to be done in times of peace. It’s Bad For the Troops So far, it was said that the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy should stay in place for now. Combat effectiveness and troop control were mentioned as key terms. However, those are not the only issues debated right now in political and judicial institutions. Expressions that come up often in those arguments are “disruption of troops”, “unit cohesion”, “infighting” and such. Newsweek Magazine cites that opponents of the ban lifting have warned many times that “openly gay soldiers will sink morale, cause resignations, discord and infighting, and, ultimately, damage readiness at a time when the U.S. military is already taxed to the extreme.” (Newsweek) Others reply to those that compare this issue with the integration of blacks and women into military, pointing out that women were actually never fully integrated into combat units. Women are still banned from many front-line units such are infantry and special operations. (www.navytimes.com) All of the above belongs strictly into military and combat realm. One other, current issue is not being mentioned very often. The war in Afghanistan, the U.S. mission in Iraq and constant terrorist threats to national security of America and its allies are all connected by the way of Islam. Islam’s traditional position on homosexuality is unfavorable, homosexuality is forbidden and a sin. In the case of extreme Muslims, ones that are ready to commit terrorist acts, those views just become more radical. Combine those views with the hate toward America and what America means; add gays serving openly in the U.S. Military and what we get is a new dose of hate, certain amount of morale boost and the perception that Americans are soft and therefore vulnerable. In the Barracks Another set of issues that could potentially arise from repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” will happen away from the battlefields and on military posts. David Segal, sociologist at the University of Maryland has written extensively on the military’s personnel policies and recruiting and he claims that the real issues are happening back home and in the barracks where , as he points out, “many troops don’t mind suspecting their colleagues are gay, but they don’t want to know for sure.” Also in the barracks, the question whether straight and gay troops will have to shower next to one another is the one that comes up frequently, same as is a concern whether there would be attacks on gays if the military lifts the ban suddenly. Further back home in small towns and rural areas, would religious parents, teachers and coaches discourage young men from enlisting if the ban is lifted? Christian Century magazine writes in June this year that 40 retired military chaplains have warned President Obama and Secretary Gates that allowing gays to serve openly in the military will force current chaplains to choose between obeying God or men. The message to Washington says that “this forced choice must be faced, since orthodox Christianity- which represents a significant percentage of religious belief in the armed forces- does not affirm homosexual behavior.” (Christian Century) Regular troops keep the potential problems for them simple. For them it all comes down to the mission they are assigned to do. Sgt. David Trentham told Associated Press that he believes the lifting of the ban would just complicate things. “If you have two homosexuals in a unit, they could have a relationship and if they broke it off, is that going to cause the mission to fail because they are having problems?” asks Trentham. (Associated Press) Are Lawsuits Next? It would be negligent to forget about another group of issues, one that involves money and finances. The most obvious one here is the issue of possible open attacks on gays in the military which, in turn, could trigger costly lawsuits and courtroom embarrassment for the military. This has already been mentioned in light of fears top officers are expressing about losing control over its troops. Back in August of this year, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force for discharging him under don’t ask don’t tell law. (Dayton Daily News). It is one of the first lawsuits in this context and could be a groundbreaking one. The questions posed here is whether repealing the ban would leave more room for such lawsuits and be costly for the military and the government. On the same, financial note, if the ban is repealed would that mean that the government would have to pay benefits to openly gay service members and their partners and would the government be able to afford it. It is estimated that currently there are over 60,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual service members; majority of them having a partner would mean 50,000-60,000 new benefit packages. (Washington Post) Into the Soldier’s Psyche Psychologically, allowing gays to serve openly would also be counter-productive. This is a debate about soldiers being required to defend their country while living and rooming in close quarters with each other. It is a fact that their effectiveness depends on mutual trust and sexual relations or tension between soldiers undermines this bond. Also, there is a genuine worry that not all gay applicants for the military will be driven by a pure desire to serve. The high concentration of individuals of one gender within a military unit make it a fruitful source of sexual partners, and might provoke a disproportionate gravitation of gays, lesbians and bisexuals towards applying . This in turn will provoke even more homophobia among heterosexuals as these motives become clear. Finally, the armed forces are a special case as they are putting their employees into life-or-death situations where any mental distraction could be fatal. Men and women aren’t sent into combat together and there is no reason why should gays and heterosexuals. Lift Not Overall, the circumstances surrounding the U.S. Military are not favorable for repealing the don’t ask, don’t tell law that has been in place since 1993. (Congressional Digest) United States are fighting a hard war in Afghanistan and simultaneously are trying to combat Islamic terrorism. Keeping that in mind, it is important to say that, in such circumstances, military does not need more outside distractions and inside changes. When it comes to lifting the ban on gays serving openly, in spite common feeling that the time is ripe for that, the military commanders keep telling us they are not ready, their soldiers are not ready and a military as a whole is not ready. As we all know, the military and its culture are not easily changed and it would be unrealistic to expect that change in acceptance of gays in the military will happen overnight and by one stroke of the pen. Thus, maybe we should listen to what Generals say, as they should know best, and wait. Annotated Bibliography Religion News Service. “Ex-Chaplains Reject Change for Gays in the Military” Christian Century. 6/1/2010, Vol. 127, issue 11 Retired military chaplains warn about the possibility of arising issues if the ban on gays serving openly in the military is lifted. The main point they have is that, since Christianity does not condone homosexual behavior, current chaplains might face a hard choice of obeying God or men. Thompson, Mark. “Don’t Ask Repeal Hits the Skids” Time Magazine. www.time.com 11/22/2010, Vol. 176, Issue 21 The author point out that, after November elections, chances of repealing the “don’t ask don’t tell” law has diminished with the Republican Party victory. Thompson asserts that supporters of the ban found a new hero in General James Amos, new Commandant of the Marine Corps, who openly voiced his opposition to repealing the ban on numerous occasions since becoming a top Marine back in October. Watson, Julie. “Marines Most Resistant to Openly Gay Troops.” Associated Press. Published by www.yahoo.com. 11/27/2010. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gays_marine_corps Watson analyzes how and why the Marine Corps is the place where gays serving openly is resisted the most of all armed forces segments. She contends that major factors are - commanding officers being against it, specific living arrangements for the Marines, the nature of the Corps which is a tightly-knit force and one that is usually first to be called upon in times of war. Flaherty, Anne and Watson, Julie. “Opponents Say Military Needs Culture Change, Too.” Associated Press. 10/20/2010. Published at www.navytimes.com http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/10/ap-military-gay-ban-culture-change-102010/ Authors pose some interesting questions about consequences of the possility of repealing the ban on gays in the military. They report about concerns coming from military circles, that could become a reality if the ban is removed. Among most interesting questions are issues of benefits for partners of gay soldiers, possible harrassment and intimidation of gays and others. McLean Charles and Singer P.W. “Don’t Ask, Tell” Newsweek Magazine. 6/14/2010. Vol. 155, Issue 24 This article explores different aspects of gays serving in the military, not only in the US, but worldwide. Writers assert that many other countries have allowed gays to serve openly and that they did not face any significant problems. On the other hand, authors are exploring how US military personnel sees the issue and cite some pretty sharp critics voiced thus far. O’Keefe Ed. “Eye Opener: Estimate: 66,000 Gays in the Military. www.washingtonpost.com http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/01/eye_opener_estimate_66000_gays.html Author gives statistical breakdown on numbers of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the military. The numbers given are only estimates, since gay soldiers are according to “don’t ask don”t tell” forced to stay in the closet. The real numbers might be greater. Larsen, Dave. “Native's lawsuit against 'don't ask, don't tell' could be ‘groundbreaking’, says attorney”. www.daytondailynews.com 8/13/2010. http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime/natives-lawsuit-against-dont-ask-dont-tell-could-be-groundbreaking-says-attorney-858246.html The writer reports on one of the first lawsuits against “don’t ask don’t tell” law. Highly decorated Air Force Lt. Col. Is discharged because of the law, and he is trying to remedy his discharge in court. Congressional Digest. “Homosexuals in the Military.” April 2010. Congressional report from April of this year, that explores the evolution of the “don’t ask, don’t tell “ policy. The report talks about the first inception of the law under President Clinton, the goals of the law and gives extensive discharge statistics. Ephron, Dan. “General Comment.” Newsweek Magazine. 3/26/2007. Vol. 149, Issue 13 Ephron critically assesses the opinion voiced by Gen. Peter Pace, Head of Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time and his attack on gays in the military. The article is indicative of the points given in the text of this essay, as top brass always showed resistance to allowing gays to serve openly. Read More