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One must be cautious of the gays. First, they attempt to cajole our children with sinful behavior; they whisper homosexual obscenities into naïve ears and attempt mass conversions to their lifestyle. Now, they seek to join the military. Their presence degrades troop morale and undermines the moral fabric of this great country and we all know gays can’t fire guns.
I have heard the previous comments incessantly, and I am reminded with similar frequency of the deep-rooted discrimination very much alive in this country, especially after the U.S. Senate voted against repealing don’t ask, don’t tell, which prohibits openly gay individuals from joining the military.
On Sept. 21, U.S. senators were given the chance to put an end to a chapter of discrimination plaguing this country, and subsequently threw this chance to the wind after 56 voted in favor of repealing DADT, while 43 voted against. 60 votes were needed to grant gays the same treatment as any other American.
Among their reasoning for this upholding of Plessy v. Ferguson principles, those in Washington cite political motives for voting against the repeal of DADT. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, stated, “I think it’s the right thing to do, but I cannot vote to proceed to this bill under a situation that is going to shut down the debate,” as Collins wanted more control over amendments.
Samuel Freeman Miller, an associate judge in the United States Supreme Court during the late 1890s, considered himself an abolitionist, yet voted to uphold private discrimination, specifically in the civil rights cases. Miller asserted that banning discrimination in public transportation or public accommodation was unconstitutional, as the 14th Amendment need only be applied to individual states. I imagine Collins and Miller would have a most agreeable conversation over coffee if he were alive today.
Others in today’s society candidly subscribe to the belief that openly gay individuals in the military threaten unit cohesion. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, one of the most vocal opponents of the DADT repeal, insists gays should wait until the Pentagon releases a report regarding the impact of allowing gays to openly serve in the military. But the report, based on a survey sent out to 400,000 American troops, has raised many concerns among the supporters of the repeal.
Firstly, the survey uses terms like “homosexual”, already establishing a negative connotation. When asking someone who is gay how they identify oneself, chances are likely that the response will be, “I’m gay,” or “I’m a lesbian,” most certainly not: “I am a homosexual.” The term homosexual is most commonly used by close-minded characters like Fred Phelps, head pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, who, if God hadn’t found him first, would have probably been the next subject of corporate media, citing UFOs over his trailer-park.
Anita Bryant, who redundantly declared that gays are the disease of this nation because “homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children,” also utilized the term with an enthusiasm that wasn’t all too friendly.
The survey also asks questions of an entirely demeaning nature, such as how a “homosexual” affects a unit’s morale and ability to fight in combat or complete a mission, and even how showering with a suspected “homosexual” effects a soldier’s ability to do his or her duty.
With such deliberate disregard of respectful labeling and uniformed, sensationalist questioning, I cannot be alone on deeming this survey as blatantly skewed. If you ask a racist how comfortable they would feel working with an individual of a different race while labeling them with a derogatory term yourself, the racist is going to say at the very least that they’re uncomfortable.
Subsequently, if the racist is asked, anonymously, how desegregation of public schools affects town morale, the responses you read will be based on deep-rooted prejudices, not facts.
Similarly, if a homophobe or an individual who disagrees with the gay “lifestyle” is asked how likely they would be to recommend the military to others if homosexuals were openly serving, the chances are quite strong the responses will be negative.
The tragedy here is that American policy grants irrational people the clout to decide a minority’s rights. Our country’s values of freedom, equality and the pursuit of happiness, are meant for all Americans and should not be selectively doled out to whomever the majority deems appropriate.
How can we so easily distort this? A message that should permeate in the thoughts of all citizens — America is not always about you, and it does not consist solely of your beliefs and wants.
After the disappointing news of the Senate’s rejection of repealing the DADT policy, America dons the image of a two-faced fool yet again. In this country of ours, we will continue to boast to others about the freedoms we possess, while some have not yet reaped the benefits of all these freedoms.
Still wearing the visages of morals and speaking proudly of ethics we will appear to glisten, yet once undressed, hypocrisy can be seen abounding.
Erin McCann is a fourth-year biology student.
