Gays in the U.S. Army? Yes, Sir!

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been trying to convince Congress to let declared gays and lesbians join the Army.

“No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,” said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Capitol Hill.

Mullen and Gates were convincing in their argument that gay and lesbian soldiers should not be rejected from the Army if they reveal their sexual orientation. Nevertheless, they made a concession that the Army needs time for such changes. Giving the opportunity for declared homosexuals to serve in the military would be the biggest revolution in the American Army since 1948, when multiracial units were implemented.

In practice, homosexuals have been allowed to do military service since the 1990’s. It is estimated that there are currently over 65,000 gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the Army. They owe this right to Bill Clinton’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” law. According to the law, they should not be asked about their sexual orientation and they should keep it a secret themselves. Because of breaching this rule, over the course of several years, 13,000 lesbians and gays were dismissed from the Army. Because of this, members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) movement complain of discrimination.

During his presidential campaign, in order to win their support, Barack Obama promised to abandon this rule. Last week the president announced that he would keep his promise. “This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are,” he promised.

Many officers are against such changes at this moment, though. They fear that this could have a negative influence on the morale of the soldiers. Congress, which could block the reform promoted by Obama, is filled with many opponents of the proposed change. “In the middle of two wars and in the middle of this giant security threat, why would we want to get into this debate?” Republican John Boehner asked.

“But it is during war when the law needs to be changed, because the Army, without reason, loses soldiers who could be of great value,” argues Denis Dison, vice president for External Affairs at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. “The military officials claiming that the current policy is bad and needs to be changed, is a big step forward. It is a very important moment in the fight for a change in the treatment of homosexuals by the Army.”*

As Time magazine asserts, gays in the ancient Greek army did not bring conflict. However, the officers at that time did not need to worry about being sued for sexual harassment. Opponents of granting equal rights to homosexual soldiers argue that in every base in Afghanistan or Iraq, apart from separate showers for women and men, there would have to be separate showers for lesbians and gays.

*Editor’s note: Quotes by Denis Dison could not be verified.