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Originally Posted by Skaligojurah
Was a silly law based on a bigoted paranoia. Glad it's been abolished.
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Agreed, but I would add that the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy was more than just silly. The policy was demeaning, unjust, sexist, mean and spiteful...the opposite of the Golden Rule. I DESPISED the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy and the thoughts of people who conceived it.
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Originally Posted by Dirty
I've always supported gays in the military. I don't see a problem with it and don't think anyone should have to hide their sexuality for fear of being fired.
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I agree. I frequently see people in the workplace talking about and posting pictures of their opposite-sex significant others. No one accuses them of being "flamboyant" about publicly acknowledging their deep love for another human. Denying gay and bi people the right to acknowledge or talk about their loved-ones simply because one doesn't like the gender of the partner is a gross violation of civil rights, in my opinion.
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Originally Posted by djchameleon
I really don't get why civilians that aren't even in the military feel like DADT was such a bad policy. If you were actually in the service, you would see that it's pretty non-existent in this day and age. Well at least in my experience.
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Phanastasio gives good examples of why I feel
all people should have been appalled by the policy:
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Originally Posted by ThePhanastasio
DADT also had stipulations which proved it to be a flawed system: If members of any branch of the armed services were outed through any means, or proved to have been practicing homosexual behavior, they were discharged from the service. In addition, the discharges were, naturally, not honorable discharges. As such, upon leaving the service, finding employment elsewhere became difficult because the status of their termination from any given branch of the United States military.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePhanastasio
One of my dad's best friends got discharged under DADT when my family was stationed at Fort Bragg. The guy was airborne, did everything right, healthy...he just got caught out at a restaurant with his boyfriend, and his platoon leader made a big stink about it.
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Very sad, Phanastasio. That platoon leader treated his fellow serviceman cruelly by making a stink about him being out at a restaurant with his boyfriend. What should have been a sweet moment for two people was ruined by the U.S. government's acceptance of the bigoted opinion that romantic love should only exist between opposite-sexed partners.
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Originally Posted by Freebase Dali
its implementation was originally to allow gays to serve while maintaining unit cohesion by anticipating any negative effects that biases/fears may cause, and aligning with the gender segregation that's enforced in various situations.
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If this was the original rationale behind the policy, Freebase, then I hate the policy even more, if that is possible.
In elementary school, you don't tell kids to hide who they are to avoid being bullied. You STOP THE BULLIES! If "Don't Ask Don't Tell" was indeed needed to protect people who love someone of the same sex, then the policy seems to be an admission that United States servicemen and women are less mature than children. That's pretty pathetic.
I think adults can learn to do their job without attacking gay or bi people. It is sad that the U.S. government didn't have such confidence in the character of its military members. I should have thought even anti-gay people would have opposed DADT because the policy implies they can't control themselves.
I suspect the rationale that DADT was implemented to "maintain unit cohesion" was a cover-up. In my opinion, the *real* reason DADT was implemented was because some people wanted to discriminate against and be mean to those of us who are gay or bi.