A Soldier Speaks

"I am a 23 year old straight man. I have enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and this May I will begin my four years of active duty service. When I enlisted, I was extremely proud to stand at attention in front of a flag and a commissioned officer and swear an oath to defend the nation. But before I did that, I was forced to sign some paperwork saying essentially "We won't ask you if you're a homosexual, but if we find out that you are or if you engage in homosexual activity, we'll kick you out because that stuff is gross." It was one of the more disgusting, degrading, ignorant, backwards, and insulting statements I've ever had to sign my name to, and I'm not even gay!

Now I realize that I'm probably preaching to the choir on this issue, but you guys are supposed to be the biggest and most powerful groups supporting the rights of gays and lesbians, and it seems to me that you haven't done much to really try to change it. I know that Congress will have to pass DADT repeal since that has been codified into law, and I know that Congressional Democrats in both houses will not move on the issue unless they know that the president wants them to move aggressively. And I know that the president doesn't want to upset the Pentagon, which is admirable, but I also know that every single person in the Pentagon has "President of the United States - The Honorable Barack Obama" at the very tip-top of their chain of command. So it seems to me that President Obama is the most important in the entire nation when it comes to setting policy for the military, and that includes the repeal or continuation of DADT. And unless he receives pressure from advocacy groups, he ain't gonna stick his neck out for you guys.

As I said, I'm not gay. If my sexual orientation gets outed, I am in absolutely no danger of a discharge. I can continue to serve, whether or not everyone knows what gender gets my rocks off. I have that luxury. Gays and lesbians don't, and that is an embarrassment. There is a clear path to fixing that. We have the Commander in Chief we need. We have the Congress we need. We have the military leaders we need. We have the public opinion we need. The wind is at our backs, and the time is now. It is time for you to stand up and demand action from the president who owes his presidency to groups like yours. It's a singular moment where all the factors are aligned, and your leadership is acutely missed."

Posted by DM at AmericaBlog HERE