The University of Idaho Argonaut

‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ has no place in military

The colloquialism “don’t ask, don’t tell” has been in use since the early 1990s, when President Clinton’s promise to allow citizens of all sexual orientations to serve in the military was not well received by Congress and a compromise was needed.

Though military rules prohibit openly gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals from serving in the armed forces, the policy allows them to serve assuming they keep quiet about their sexual orientation.

Since then, the policy has generally remained out of the public eye, until President Obama stated publically he would like it to go away. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen both voiced they would like it to change, stating that the sexual orientation of service members should not be an issue.

And they’re all right.

It’s no secret American society struck a progressive path long ago regarding minority rights issues. Slavery ended, then women got the right to vote, then segregation disappeared and now this is the civil rights issue confronting our generation. It’s all too likely in 50 years, concepts such as “don’t ask, don’t tell” will be scoffed at much like we scoff at the notion of segregation.

The common argument for the policy has usually contended the military should be able to choose its own members, and like those with physical disabilities, homosexuals would hurt the armed forces by lowering morale. Even with this dubious argument, both the civilian and enlisted leaders of the military feel it would not hurt to repeal it.

Let’s consider exactly what the military stands to lose if this policy goes away. Could some members of the armed services be uncomfortable? Yeah, maybe. But it’s not like the majority of gay, lesbian and bisexual members of the armed forces are going to do their best to make sure everyone who serves with them knows of their sexual preferences.

The fact of the matter is that soldiers are adults, and it is time to start acting as such. The discomfort of a few is no reason to oppress an entire group of people.

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