Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

Question

Yay or nay?I have friends who say both... so I'm curious to see how other people feel about it...

very good points so far. Though I'd like to point out that sex between soldiers is not prohibited anymore. It was discovered to be a rather foolish law (and who wouldn't see it that way... our soldiers are out there and may die... they should get some pleasure out of it, right?)

Answer 1

I found out 4 years after I retired from the USMC that the partner I had in the MP's for 2 years was gay. He served with distinction and never crossed the line with any type of inappropriate behavior. In a scrap I would not have wanted anyone else to back me up (no pun intended). I have a moral issue with homosexuality, but this guy was a good Marine. All moral differences aside, if anyone of an "alternate lifestyle" can keep it out of the way and handle themselves like he did, I have no problem with their serving in the military. If I am getting shot at, I really am not interested in who you go home to, I am interested in how well you fight as part of a unit. I will be honest though, if it had been known at the time, it would have definitely caused problems in my unit. Unfairly so maybe, but nonetheless true.

Answer 2

Funny thing, I spent six years in the Army, the last four as a WO. This was back in the late 60s and early 70s.

During this whole time I don't think I ever saw or know personally of anyone in the military who was gay. There were a few guys some of us suspected were but nothing was ever said or done about it.

Were there gays in the Army back then? I'm sure there were. But most of us probably figured 'so what?' The Viet Nam war was going on (I served two tours there), we all had a mission to perform and we all depended on each other.

The way I've always looked at gays (in or out of the military) was that I didn't give a damn what a guy did during his personal time as long as: A. He took care of business while on duty and B. He never put his hands on me and never made a pass at me (this never happened to me, but still I would have put the hurt on him.).

Answer 3

See this is why I love to hate the government. People can have rights, but only if you are what they want you to be, first it was the blacks, then the hispanics and Irish, then the Chinese and the japanese, now the gays and lesbians. Why don't they just realise that this too will be approved one day, and there is nothing that they can do about it. But instead the government wants to waste money on this instead of facing the real issues.

Answer 4

Isn't sex between soldiers prohibited (same sex or opposite sex)? Given that, why should this be any different from any other job interview where you can't ask about sexual orientation?

Answer 5

can you say gayness doesn't matter to you when your in a shower with 20 other people at same time. it's like a creepy version of high school gym.

Answer 6

probably a silly policy, but if the military says that it's necessary to maintain cohesion in the armed forces, i'm willing to defer to their judgment.

Answer 7

really most people dont care about that subject anymore. in a war ;you rely on each other; and try to come home together; its that simple

Answer 8

I personally think that's ridiculous, who really cares what their sexual orientation is. As long as they are doing their job it shouldn't matter.

Answer 9

Who cares? We all pay taxes. Our diversity is our foundation.

Answer 10

for me, I kept silence , and if you had a question ,you just wrote a slip of paper to him...since he told you not ask and not tell