The Many Layers of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

The absurd "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that prevents gay people from openly serving in the military is again in the news this week. This recent visibility is actually a good thing, because the top brass and the civilian leadership are both purporting that the policy should be phased out. Well, it's a day late and a dollar short, but it's better late than never. (ugh! two cliches in the same sentence!).

The fact is, this policy has never worked and has caused great harm. (For a painstakingly-detailed account of the failings of this policy, read Randy Shilts' Conduct Unbecoming.)

The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is discrimination, pure and simple. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Senator McCain has characterized the policy as "imperfect but effective." Just what specifically does he mean by "effective"? Explain to me, Senator McCain, just what the policy has "effectively" done? I'm afraid what it has effectively done is create a hostile environment within the military, harming those soldiers who have made the greatest sacrifice by choosing to serve their country.

The truth is, whenever we are dealing with human sexual orientation, things can get messy because it's about so much more than sexual orientation. It is about gender identity. It is about culture. It is about societal "norms." It is about how we construct our chosen families. Any policy that attempts to neatly define and control human sexuality and identity is doomed to fail and will probably cause great harm.

This policy makes people uncomfortable because it focuses on people's sexual orientation (which we know is not "black and white," but instead is fluid and on a continuum) and the implications of one's sexual orientation in a military setting. If we are honest, it forces us to confront the stereotypes of what it means to be "gay":

"If someone's gay, it compromises our security because they're "closeted" and so could be blackmailed."

"If someone's gay, they don't believe in monogamy, and they will try to seduce everyone in the unit."

"If someone's gay, they aren't married, and they don't care about 'family values'."

Implicit in all of these stereotypes is the notion that "if someone's gay, they're not like me, they're sub-human, and so they are not worthy to serve their country next to me."

The truth is, gay people ARE human, and are subject to all the human fallibilities and frailties that heterosexual people are. This is the radical idea; that gay people should be afforded the same dignity and respect that straight people are. The demise of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is a nod to this radical idea.