Don't Ask Don't Tell
 

I am really impressed with Lady Gaga's protesting of DADT. She is going out of her way to be a role model for what she believes in. Here are videos of her in Portland, at a protest rally. I think she is a brilliant speaker.





What do you guys think about this law? Should it be repealed?

I think it's ridiculous that gays are sent home from the military based on their sexuality. Especially when they are really good soldiers. I mean aren't you supposed to send people home that are not adequate to be a soldier?

Adidasss, I'm picking on you because you are gay, but would you ever want to enlist? And if so, how does this law make you feel?

Hooray for the real, east coast, Portland! None of that west coast bullpucky.

And, yes, I too think Don't Ask Don't Tell is silly. At the time when it was created it was a definite improvement over the existing situation, but it's certainly outlived its usefulness.

**** it, let them in, let me go the **** home.

It's a law that is out-dated, pure and simple. I'm sure plenty of folk would argue that it has always been out-dated and maybe thats true, i'm happy to admit that I don't know how long this has been in effect so I couldn't possibly comment on that. However regardless of history, I really fail to see how this is relevant in the modern day at all.

Theres been talk of Gaga taking this public stance in the Gaga thread but I will also state here that whereas I think the majority of her actions seem to be for attention and headlines, I certainly wont criticise someone of her celebrity status choosing to speak out on something like this. I don't think it can hurt, can it?

It came into effect in the 90s, under Bill Clinton. Prior to DADT, the military was free to ask people about their sexual orientation and the person was required to answer if they were asked, which could result in them being thrown out of the military. DADT was actually created to end that practice and protect people from sexual-orientation-based discrimination. It's certainly outdated now though, since the flip-side of it is that it effectively forces people to live in the closet.

17 years, the current DADT policy has been in affect for 17 years.

Before that, it was this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...llcredible.jpg

Right yeah, so it's outdated then. I was under the impression that it was initially intended to be a positive policy but I had no idea how long it had been in effect. I guess it was positive initially as it meant that gay people could serve in the military but there are still certain circumstances where they can discharged for being gay, arent there?

I have often wondered how those who have served in the military feel about this. It's good to see crash's take on things.

I'm with GaGa on this one.

I agree on alot of the views on this.I just don't think it's anyone damn business what a persons preference is. If they are capable of doing the job then let them do it.

Well when I was in basic training, my bunkmate was able to get out by claiming he was gay. He told me he planned to and I was called in to the drill-sergeant's office to corroborate the story, which I did.
Discharge for that is "other than honorable" I believe, which isn't a bad thing at all... and some people who can't handle the military are able to successfully use this as an escape mechanism.
You can't just decide you want out of the military and in most scenarios your only way out is to act a fool and end up getting kicked out with a dishonorable discharge, and that will follow you all your life.
So in that sense, the gay thing is a good thing. While most would say "don't join if you don't can't handle it", you don't know your limits until you're pushed to them, and you don't know how you'll handle it. Minimum contract in the Army is 3-6 years depending on your MOS, and that can be a long time for someone to be utterly miserable.

Anyway, another aspect to DODT is that while it doesn't seem relevant now days in a general social aspect, there are still a lot of people that aren't comfortable with homosexuality. Given the nature of the military and the fact that in a lot of situations, you're in a position to be bunking, showering, and even sharing a room with a member of the same gender (even well after basic training) the DODT considerations made are based on unit cohesion and welfare of the troops. It may seem like bigotry at first glance, but regardless of any member's personal distaste for homosexuals, the fact remains that if a unit can't operate like a team and trust each other on and off the battlefield, the mission itself is at stake.
While there are any number of solutions, the most amicable one, while keeping military goals in mind, was DODT and that's why it was implemented.