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Serving In the military Is for many the most honored position they will hold in their lifetime. Many dedicate their entire lives to serving their country. For some soldiers however their dream of proudly serving their country was cut short because they are gay, lesbian or bisexual. America’s attitude towards acceptance of homosexuals has continued to grow over the past couple of decades, but full acceptance and equality is still far off. Nowhere are attitudes towards homosexuality more conservative than in the U. S. Litany, yet even here attitudes are slowly evolving towards acceptance ND equality. Human sexuality Is complicated, yet we live In a society that tries to only see such Issues In a black and white fashion. Homosexuals have been a part of society since the dawn of man and are an accepted and integral part of many cultures. Likewise homosexuals have also served in militaries throughout history as well. For the ancient Greeks homosexuality was an accepted part of life and members of the military were encouraged to embrace this lifestyle, especially while on the battlefield.
Such acceptance historically is not widespread; in fact Just the opposite has been the experience of most gays serving in a military. The military forces of the world have differing approaches to the enlistment of homosexual gay and lesbian and bisexual individuals. Nations that permit gay people to serve openly in the military include the 4 of the 5 members of the UN Security Council (United States, United Kingdom, France, and Russia), the Republic of China (Taiwan), Australia, Israel, South Africa, Argentina, and all NATO members excluding Turkey.
The armed forces of most developed countries have removed policies excluding non- heterosexual Individuals with strict policies on sexual harassment. President Obama cleared that he would work to “finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. ” However, I agree with the sanction to tolerate homosexuality in the military. Sexuality has no bearing on one’s ability to be a good soldier or on the cohesion off military unit.
Gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military, because the policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Is harmful to both soldiers and the military. The history of this concept Is unfathomable and all of society should educate themselves and take It under consideration. People who choose to have a different sexual orientation from society still have rights. The first time homosexuals were differentiated from non- homosexuals in the military literature was in revised army manipulation regulations in 1942. Additional policy revisions in 1944 and 1947 further codified the ban.
Throughout the next few decades, homosexuals were routinely discharged, regardless of whether they had engaged In sexual conduct while serving. In response to the gay rights movements of the 1 sass and asses, the Department of Defense issued a 1982 policy stating that homosexuality was clearly incompatible with military revive. Controversy over this policy created political pressure to amend the policy, with socially liberal efforts seeking a repeal of the ban and socially conservative groups wishing to reinforce it by statute.
A legislative policy was enacted in a 1993 homosexuals were prohibited from serving in the military and their discharge was required. The main change that the new policy made was to prohibit investigation into a member’s sexual orientation without suspicion. The new policy was known as “Don’t ask, don’t tell” and was seen as a compromise between the two political efforts. Furthermore, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy can be better understood in historical context. A historical perspective is also relevant to comparing policies toward service by gay and lesbian personnel and policies affecting racial minorities, mainly African Americans.
The military back then did not “officially’ exclude or discharge homosexuals from its ranks, although sodomy’s defined as anal and sometimes oral sex between men is still considered a criminal offense. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Americans have patriotically served in our nation’s armed forces throughout the years. Many women, who wanted to serve, posed as men; their biological gender discovered only after they died in battle. The United States military excluded homosexuals from service until 2011. The military consistently held the official view that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people were unfit for military service.
Pressure to overturn the ban continued to build throughout the asses and asses, as public opposition to gay rights waned. President Barack Obama signed a bill into law in December 2010 which created a future pathway to allow homosexuals to serve in the military. Under the terms of the bill, the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy minded in place until the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs certified that repeal would not harm military readiness, followed by a 60 days waiting period.
In early 2011, military leaders began issuing training plans for the expected repeal of the ban. A court order on July 6, 2011, required the Pentagon to immediately suspend the ban, which the government complied with. The legislative repeal of the ban took effect on September 20, 2011. One year after repeal, a study published by the Palm Center found that openly gay service has not resulted in a negative net impact to the U. S. Military. Currently, “Don’t ask, don’t tell” has developed into a bit of a metaphor for unrelated issues.
As a matter of fact, The Equal Protection Clause, part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, provides that no state shall deny to any person within its Jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause applies only to state governments, but the requirement of equal protection has been read to apply to the federal government as a component of Fifth Amendment due process. The Fourteenth Amendment was enacted in 1868, shortly after the Union victory in the American Civil War.
After the Thirteenth Amendment, which was proposed by Congress and ratified by the states in 1865, had abolished slavery, many ex-Confederate states adopted Black Codes following the war. These laws severely restricted the rights of blacks to hold property, including chattels and real property and many forms of personal property; to form legally enforceable contracts or enter into agreements involving securities, or other negotiable or commercial paper. These codes also created harsher criminal penalties for blacks than for whites. This very much coincides with homosexuality in the military. More concretely, the Equal
Protection Clause, along with the rest of the Fourteenth Amendment, marked a great shift in American constitutionalism. Before the enactment of the Fourteenth federal government. After the Fourteenth Amendment was enacted, the Constitution also protected rights from abridgment by state leaders and governments, even including some rights that arguably were not protected from abridgment by the federal government. In the wake, the Fourteenth Amendment, the states could not, among other things, deprive people of the equal protection of the laws. What exactly such a requirement means has been the subject of much debate, and the story of the
Equal Protection Clause is the gradual explication of its meaning. Gays should be allowed to serve openly in the US Military, as long as they meet every qualification that everyone else does. The sexual behavior of an individual has nothing to do with serving a country. If it did, then there are a lot of heterosexuals in the military who should not be serving, as promiscuity and rape amongst heterosexuals are existing problems that need to be dealt with. Mutual, consensual sex is a private matter. Lack of tolerance for anyone “different” is the problem, not the solution.
In the military, specially, this intolerance has deadly consequences. Those in the military should receive training in sensitivity to other cultures and lifestyles, since their work brings them in proximity to a wide range of people, and it is crucial that they get along and respect each other. Recently, a 14-year-old from Iowa is openly bisexual. She collared Governor of Texas, Rick Perry and challenged him to explain the reasoning behind his belief that gays should not serve openly in the military. Perry stated that it has everything to do with his faith and that he believes that homosexuality is a sin itself.
He then goes on to say that he is opposed to the idea of allowing homosexuals and bisexuals in the military. Also, according to “The New York Times”, what started quietly by a handful of Air Force officers in 2005, the gathering has grown to as many as 40 people since the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy last September. The crowd is a testament to the openness in the military now that gay, lesbian and bisexual service members no longer have to keep their sexual orientation secret or face discharge and also to how such gatherings are still needed. Gay service members say they feel relief they no longer have to live secret lives.
But both gay and straight service members say that ending the legal barriers has hardly erased all the cultural ones, and that while the repeal has gone better than many expected, harassment and discrimination against gays in the military have not disappeared. Gay rights advocates say the number who came out may in fact be smaller than the survey in out serve, which is made up of those gay service members most likely to be open about their orientation. From examining these sources in light of homosexuality in the military, I can say that is Just being rude on America’s side to those whom are gay.
I personally think there is nothing against them. They are humans Just like us. If they do become part of the military, people will soon have to adapt to gays being in the army. There should be no issue if they do Join. If there are problems, then there should be serious consequences for the perpetrators. There is nothing to show that gays cannot serve in a military environment. They are Just as capable of serving alongside heterosexual soldiers as anyone else is. The only problem with mixing gay and non-gay soldiers is prejudice within the two groups. Administrative Office of U. S. Courts.