Sunday, May 1, 2011

OBAMA AND INCREASED RISK TO GAY MILITARY PERSONNEL

The Obama administration wants a federal appeals court to maintain the ban on openly gay servicemembers until the Pentagon is ready for them, probably by the end of the year, and to reject a demand for an immediate halt to "don't ask, don't tell," The San Francisco Chronicle reports. [For the full article, see here.]

The "retraining of current troops," and this kind of delaying tactic, is a death by a thousand cuts, and is virtually guaranteed to heighten the likelihood of assaults and even murders of gays and lesbians within the military.

The President sets the tone of the nation, and is commander-in-chief of the military, and the tone he is setting is one of hand wringing that lends credence to the erroneous view that there are two legitimate sides to this issue of "integration," and that mere tolerance will one day be required of troops toward openly gay and lesbian military personnel. And requiring mere "tolerance" under these conditions is likely to place Gay military personnel at further risk of discrimination.
Share |

No comments: