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For exactly the reason I stated...safety and privacy, not to mention Equal Opportunity. You cant protect the privacy of a female soldier from the peeping eyes of a male soldier unless you afford that same protection to a straight male against a gay male. EO flags would go up all over the place.
bottom line is...you dont know what you dont know. I consider my self to be understanding and tolerant but I still would not want to bunked in a 2 man room with a gay male soldier. The policy is fine as it is now.
let me ask a question...what is the benifit to the soldier to be openly gay? There is NONE! will the freedom that soldier feels for not having to hide his/her sexuality outway the backlash from other soldiers? I dont think so.
your post is quite similar to what the Commander of the Marine Corps stated.
For exactly the reason I stated...safety and privacy, not to mention Equal Opportunity. You cant protect the privacy of a female soldier from the peeping eyes of a male soldier unless you afford that same protection to a straight male against a gay male. EO flags would go up all over the place.
bottom line is...you dont know what you dont know. I consider my self to be understanding and tolerant but I still would not want to bunked in a 2 man room with a gay male soldier. The policy is fine as it is now.
let me ask a question...what is the benifit to the soldier to be openly gay? There is NONE! will the freedom that soldier feels for not having to hide his/her sexuality outway the backlash from other soldiers? I dont think so.
Where is the benefit to the Army to keep it all under wraps? There isn't any. All the things you fear "might" happen won't. Virtually the same arguments were advanced against ending segregation in the military and they never materialized either.
The benefit to the soldier? I don't know if you'd call it a benefit or not, but if he's good enough to risk his life for his country, and sometimes lose that life, he ought to be good enough to be who he is openly and freely, just like every other soldier. It's not so much an issue of benefit as it is one of fairness.
Where is the benefit to the Army to keep it all under wraps? There isn't any. All the things you fear "might" happen won't. Virtually the same arguments were advanced against ending segregation in the military and they never materialized either.
The benefit to the soldier? I don't know if you'd call it a benefit or not, but if he's good enough to risk his life for his country, and sometimes lose that life, he ought to be good enough to be who he is openly and freely, just like every other soldier. It's not so much an issue of benefit as it is one of fairness.
Just becasue there is NOT a benifit to the soldier does not automatically mean that there IS a benifit to the Army. As an NCO my priority is to look out for the soldiers well being, not to speculate whether certain actions will or wont materialize. If one of my soldiers is gay and he feels the need to come out once the policy changes, i will support him...but it is also my responsibility to keep him from uneccissary harm. I would ask him "what is the benifit to you?" then let him make his own decision.
Just becasue there is NOT a benifit to the soldier does not automatically mean that there IS a benifit to the Army. As an NCO my priority is to look out for the soldiers well being, not to speculate whether certain actions will or wont materialize. If one of my soldiers is gay and he feels the need to come out once the policy changes, i will support him...but it is also my responsibility to keep him from uneccissary harm. I would ask him "what is the benifit to you?" then let him make his own decision.
That's it in an nutshell. Whether the policy changes or not, command influence can, and will, shortchange any adverse reaction. At the end of the day, it's up the NCO's and Officers to enforce the policy and keep their troops under control.
That's it in an nutshell. Whether the policy changes or not, command influence can, and will, shortchange any adverse reaction. At the end of the day, it's up the NCO's and Officers to enforce the policy and keep their troops under control.
I have no doubt they can do it.
I do belive that the policy will change in the near future and when it does, my responsibility will be the protection the new policy will provide those that decide to come out. As of now the policy is still in effect. Its my responsibility to enforce it and I will do so.
I do belive that the policy will change in the near future and when it does, my responsibility will be the protection the new policy will provide those that decide to come out. As of now the policy is still in effect. Its my responsibility to enforce it and I will do so.
Another factor is that if the military extended benefits to the partners of the gay service members it would cost millions of dollars $$$
You ready to pony of the extra taxes stillkit?
That would only happen if they were allowed to marry, which they aren't yet. Right now, the service doesn't extend benefits to unmarried heterosexual soldiers either, so that's not an issue.
In the future? Yes, I'd be willing to pay for that. We don't kick about paying for benefits to married hetero soldiers, so what's the difference? Besides, with a multi-billion dollar defense budget so loaded with weapons systems lard and paid "consultants," I don't think the money would be hard to find, do you?
I wonder if the best answer is to conduct a survey with the current troops. Gathering results will cost a lot of money but it might produce the proper course of action?
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