11 Openly gay soldiers fired from Army in January

So 10,000 people who were willing to stand up for our country and die for our causes, were discharged because of their sexual orientation? This is bullshit.

get out of the army with out a toe tag and all your limbs... admit your gay.

If they have 10,000 gays to kick out, why not form an all gay company, The Big Pink 1. That way no one can complain that there squad mate is gay and makes them uncomfortable.

you forget. the troops are there because they believe in what they are doing. because they believe that it is right and that it must be done in order to preserve our sovereignty. i don't think too many soldiers would pussy out by lying about being gay. don't ask don't tell policy doesn't discriminate, it just makes sense because it really shouldn't matter who is gay or straight in our military so why bother to go parading around unless you wanted out. although i believe the policy makes sense, i do however think that discharging these soldiers from the army is absolutely uncalled for. they shouldn't get anything more than a slap on the wrist. this is discrimination.

Half agree with Alex,
There is no reason for saying that you're gay if you don't have to. What's the matter with keeping it to yourself? If the rule is that you'll be kicked out of the army if you are openly gay, then for heaven sakes, keep it to yourself.

Again I could personally care less as long as the person does their job and does it the best they can.

It's not like this topic has already been discussed AT LENGTH a dozen times on here, but I'm sure we'll be going through the motions all over again. I'll be playing the role of the supporter of the military's policy.

Flagrant homosexuals do not belong in situations that are thrust upon all servicemen. Most men do not like being in close company with homosexuals. Allowing open gays in men's barracks is like putting women in men's barracks and having them sleep, shower, and live together. Or, if you prefer, putting gay men into straight women's barracks. It doesn't work, women will not want to undress in front of men, no matter their orientation. The same goes for men.

I don't care about homosexuals' feelings, they would be stressing already strenuous living conditions. I hope this policy remains in effect for years to come. No, you will not change my mind, ever.

Ugh. Heteronormativity should not impact our armed services. Recruiting efforts are on overdrive to get bodies willing to engage in U.S. missions and outdated policy is still hung up on who is gay and who is not. People don't wake up one morning and decide to be gay. It is an immutable characteristic. Regardless of orientation, homosexuals in the military should be commended for their bravery and dedication to this country.

The US Military should not reverse the Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy. However, those that "didnt tell" usually did everything asked of them and the ones that wanted out of the service well that was their ticket out. All around it is a pretty good policy, because the ones that join could keep it toned down at work and during their off duty time no one really cared. Additionally it seriously cut down on witch hunts and generally lead to an all around healthy working environment. I feel that if the policy is lifted there will be an increase in the "gay bashing" especially among the younger generation of Soldiers.

married men & women shouldn't be allowed to display their significant others when they are abroad then.

Well, don't ask don't tell will be repealed within the next few years at least according to the White House's website.

"Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals."

Only a bigoted fool or a pandering politician would support such a policy as don't ask don't tell( this criticism includes democrats).

http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/

what really bothers me is how people do not grasp that the Don't ask Don't Tell policy is Fascist. In a Fascist government, the state comes first, not you. So isn't it fascist to say that no, you cannot be who you are openly, because you are serving the State (Military)

I believe that those who are gay in the military should still have a level of professionalism. But they can still have their own identity without having to sacrifice that as well in the military.

evil government...

Should we really be fighting discrimination within the military? Or should we focus on fighting, holistically, the oppressive nature of the U.S. and capitalism, of which the military is a massively powerful tool?

I believe that discrimination and oppression of all kinds is unacceptable. How hypocritical is it to advocate for equal inclusion into the military when the U.S. military is a force for oppression and division the world over?

I dont know what to say about this

Because this will be an on-going debate with no solution to it... why not try this?

How about, if you want to serve in the Military...

1. Do not post pictures of your loved ones
2. Do not talk about your loved ones
3. Do not involve yourself in any type of relationship with your fellow mates in the service
4. Do not make any comments about yours or someone else's personal life

My point is this... only communicate about your service.. and have elementary conversations such as: favorite sports, hobbies, etc.

It would be hard to do so, right? Heterosexuals take everything for granted.

Multiple military experts and former chiefs of staff have expressed willingness to get rid of DADT plus 80% of Americans feel the same way in a poll from last year done by CNN.

The rule does nothing to help the military. Men and women are kicked out of the military simply because of who they are. It is something seen in Hitler's Germany.

The constant arguement is that gay men will be distracted and not be able to perform their duties. Please dont flatter yourself. If gay athletes can compete tremendously, gay businessmen can deal without distraction, etc... then im pretty sure a soldier can perform his duty while he is under fire and facing death without pausing his life to look at a covered man .....

If this is your view then we should keep all women on seperate ships, bases, buildings, etc... and the same for men.

If a soldier cant deal with a gay man in their unit then as far as I am concerned they arent very tough. They are fighting for a country where there is liberty, freedom and diversity and if they cant handle it then they shouldnt be fighting for it. Its not like gays have coodies.

I agree with Ares up there. It's not that the army and the government is discriminating, It's just to secure the dignity and comfortableness, if I can call it that, of the troops.

Even if you are gay, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be respectful of others. If others don't have the same feelings as you do, don't "make" them accept it. When you are openly gay, it's like a hetero going around and doing or talking about indecent acts they want to do to the opposite sex publicly.

I wouldn't care if I knew you were gay, but seriously, if you have no self control, I don't think you should be serving.

Personally, if I'm in the shower naked with other men, I wouldn't want to see a guy examining me. It's just uncomfortable.

Besides, knowing the minds of men, I doubt when you are naked with people your attracted to, you wouldn't think of indecent thoughts.

Personally

I don't see why they have to keep their sexuality hidden. The people who are uncomfortable with openly gay fellow soldiers are the ones with a problem. If 10,000 people were discharged for that, we should kick people out of the army for not liking chocolate chip cookies.

good job army...yea for str8 people

This is a tough one. There are men's and women's barracks now. Would adding gay men's and gay women's barracks help? Women had to fight an uphill battle getting equal treatment in the services and now gays are in for the same thing. Eventually, if gays stand up for themselves (and they do have a lot of support from straights), things should turn around with equal acceptance for all. A long and difficult road though.

Amazing how much homophobia there is right here on current. And even more amazing, that the homophobes are proud of their ignorance and hatred, too stupid to realize the depth of their ugliness and the foul stench of their character.

This thread is pretty much a huge fucking disappointment.

I honestly cannot understand the utter failure of Americans to understand their constitution and overcome their petty bigotries to offer all citizens the same rights.

There IS NO FUCKING ARGUMENT for DADT, it's unconstitutional, is discriminatory and has seriously limited talent in the military and is based on no military strategic grounds.

The only reason DADT is still around is because the military is generally conservative and conservatives hate gays. That's not an exaggeration, there really isn't any other reason.

This video proves it.

It has been my experience that many homophobic persons are less comfortable with their own sexuality, and are trying to overcompensate for some ambiguity in it . If our culture was more accepting it might be better for the homophobes too . Organized religion really needs to step up and take some responsibility as well . This is a mental health issue because of some cruel exclusivism propagated religions of "love " and "peace" . It makes "Evolution" very appealing by contrast .

and justice for all.... NOT