Cross posted at www.denniebriggs.com/wp/

We’ve witnessed a mockery of social justice in the US Senate’s Armed Forces Committee’s hearings on DADT, one which NY Times’ editorial put rightly: “It is shameful that Republican lawmakers are not as respectful of the values enunciated on Tuesday by Mr. Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who firmly supported eliminating what Mr. Gates called a “legally and morally fraught process.”

“Speaking for myself and myself only,” Adm. Mullen declared: “it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. No matter how I look at this 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. For me personally, it comes down to integrity—theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.”

Republican opposition to lifting the “don’t ask, don’t tell,” bar came in the face of increased public support for allowing gay people to serve openly—that has risen from 44 percent in 1993, when it was imposed, to 75 percent last year. All the more surprising when Secretary Gates just released a comprehensive nine-months’ study of all branches of the Armed Forces in which 70 percent of those surveyed (115,000) believe that the impact on their units would be positive, mixed—or of no consequence at all. In response to resistance of racial and sexual integration,  Adm Mullen testified: “. . .as the report notes, critics overestimated the negative consequences and underestimated the military’s ability to adapt and incorporate diversity.”

In a suprise setback, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell, who had fervently opposed gays openly serving in the military in 1993, announced last February: “In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed. I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.”

With all that convincing support, Senator John McCain, who leads the opposition, nevertheless maintained his defiant stand and asked for a further survey of armed forces personnel. The senator, clearly out of contact with the modern military, bases his know-how on his limited engagement more than a half century ago. He is furthermore put in an unwieldy position as his wife and daughter have publically not only supported the repeal, but same sex marriage as well. His chosen running mate from his ill-fated presidential bid, in addition, continues to flaunt the public in her conservative Tea Party endeavors while her teenage daughter “danced with the stars”—one of the current one-in-three unwed mothers.

In addition to its homophobic elements, such unwarranted resistance has wider implications than the military’s ban on gays. Attitudes and circumstances are changing—as General Powell acknowledged in his about face. Marriage, family, relationships, yes, even religious beliefs, are rapidly shifting in spite of hardliners’ determination. Recall the recent poll which indicated that 39 percent of Americans believe that marriage is becoming obsolete. Recognizing the rights of gays to serve openly, some believe, would be yet another step in government sanctions for this breakaway of traditional values.

CNN’s Michael Wolraich, however, has come forth with a “new,” albeit tried, cost-effective solution: form separate—but equal—military units for gays and lesbians. The military has experience with this way out, going back to the Second World War when it placed Japanese-Americans in the 442ND Regimental Combat Team and once more with all-Black units (80 percent of White military personnel had objected to taking showers with Blacks). This resolution would lay to rest for all time the bathing fears of straight service personnel having to take showers with gays. The gay/lesbian units could have their own uniforms, mascots and so on. It might, however, call for a new Secretary of Defense and Joint Chief’s Chairman, to carry out the plan, still Senator McCain might be cajoled into service. But Mr Wolraich cautions, “There is one potential problem. Because of a shortage of homosexual officers, straight officers would have to lead homosexual units until new gay and lesbian officers could be trained.

I haven’t seen any numbers as to how many officers in the military are gay. But in my eight years as a Naval Officer, I knew quite a few—including me! Serving on submarines, air craft carriers, in Naval hospitals and bases, I found no difficulties carrying out duties while being gay. It would have been easier and more honest, of course, to have been more straightforward, but I had to weigh service with candor. 

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