U.S. Marines Are Not in a Hurry for Sexual Freedom

Democrats in Congress are calling for a repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

In the U.S., the debates go on about the plans to repeal the policy prohibiting gays and lesbians serving in the military from disclosing their sexual orientation. The other day, Marine Commandant General James Conway spoke out against the repeal, pointing out that such a move would be fraught with problems. Meanwhile, the mass media are busy covering the scandal around another cadet at the West Point Military Academy being expelled over breaking that rule.

According to the general, marines are not happy about the impending repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. The essence of the policy is that homosexuals are not officially banned from serving in the army, but they are advised not to disclose their orientation, and the commanding officers are advised not to ask questions about it.

“I can tell you that an overwhelming majority would like not to be roomed with a person who is openly homosexual. My own surveys indicate that it’s not age-dependent, it’s not rank dependent, it’s not where you’re from,” said Conway. He added that right now the military doesn’t have enough money to build separate living quarters for gay troops. At the same time, according to the commandant, the problem can be partially solved with the help of volunteers who do not object to sharing a room with a homosexual.

Let us remind you, the Democrats in the Congress, with the active assistance from the sexual minorities’ rights advocates, are calling for a repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. They are supported by the Barack Obama administration.

According to RIA Novosti information, there is no consensus on this matter in the military. Some, like the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, think that the repeal of the law would be in keeping with the spirit of the times.

In the meantime, conservative-minded officers are seriously worried that allowing obvious gays and lesbians to serve in the military will not only create organizational problems concerning their accommodation, but also will cause numerous conflicts that can lead to an increased occurrence of acts of violence or harassment among servicemen. All that can have an extremely negative effect on unit cohesion and fighting efficiency at a time when the U.S. is involved in one of the longest and hardest wars in its history.

That’s why top Pentagon officials requested that Congress not make haste in the repeal of the policy that has remained in force for almost 17 years. At the initiative of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Department of Defense is now conducting a review to pinpoint all possible consequences of such a move. The results of the review are expected to be presented to the Congress in December.

Meanwhile, there is a scandal going on in the U.S. indicating that homosexuals are not such a rarity in the American Army. It was caused by the West Point Military Academy expelling a female cadet who was exposed as having homosexual liaisons. 20-year-old Katherine Miller was forced to quit the prestigious institution after it became clear that she was secretly writing a blog where she talked about her affairs. Later she confessed that she was tired of hiding and could not go on suppressing the important part of her individuality.

At West Point the rule of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is strictly enforced. For example, upon enrollment the cadets must sign a document acknowledging that revealing their non-traditional sexual orientation can lead to discharge.

In view of the scandal, The New York Times journalists conducted their own investigation and discovered that at West Point there is a whole secret gay society, members of which are forced to lead a double life and to observe the strictest secrecy so as not to be expelled from the academy.

Even though the case of Katherine Miller is far from being the first one, it attracted the attention of the mass media that are covering the debates on the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. The young woman became somewhat of a media celebrity: She gave interviews to several TV channels and appeared on one of the popular talk shows.