United States Army and Homosexuality Tolerance
Abstract
This integrated portfolio project will explore the United States Army
position on homosexuals within its confines. It will briefly define
what homosexuality and its' affect on the military environment. It
will explore the problems it causes and why it is a cultural
discomfort within the U.S. Armed Forces. Additionally, it will reveal
different attitudes held within the services and divulge steps that
are taken to deal with those attitudes. Finally, it will provide a
synopsis of the probable future disposition of the homosexual in the
military.
US Army and the Homosexual propensity
Introduction
Indeed, the societal bravado of the world continues to change as
quickly as technology. Dysfunctional families such as "the Osbournes "
are applauded, the elderly are counted as an eyesore, family values
are inconsistent, bad is counted as good and what was considered
immoral is now merely an alternative lifestyle. Within this melting
pot of such diverse lifestyles, lies homosexuality or politically
correct referred to as sexual orientation has been most controversial,
especially amongst the religious leaders. Homosexuality as defined is
the sexual attraction to (or sexual relations with) persons of the
same sex (Lexico Publishing Group, 2003).
The Problem
United States Code Title 10 addresses homosexuality in the armed
services. The code recognizes that one of the most critical elements
in combat capability is unit cohesion. The code directs that the armed
forces must maintain personnel policies that exclude persons who would
create an unacceptable risk to u...
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.../www.usachcs.army.mil/DIVINST/Varmy.pdf
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(Soldier Pleads Guilty , 1999) Soldier Pleads Guilty in Gay-Bashing
Court Martial. (1999, December 08). Associated Press. Retrieved July
3, 2003 from http://www.davidclemens.com/gaymilitary/campbells.html
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http://dont.stanford.edu/regulations/HomosexualDebate.html
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2003, from http://home.rmci.net/cbolton/GAYS.HTM
(U.S. Army, 1999). Don't Ask, Don't Tell Questions and Answers
[Brochure]. Washington,DC: Author.
From the end of the draft in 1973 to the military data from 2003, the number of women in service rose from 2 percent to 12 percent. A sample of military women studied in 1991 showed 69 percent to have experienced sexual harassmen...
Homosexuality in the military had been frowned upon back dating since the late 1770’s. Due to fear of reprimand, men and women were able to join the military but did not discuss their sexuality. It was believed that homosexuality was criminalized in U. S. military law. Prior to World War II, there was no written policy barring homosexuals from serving, although sodomy was considered a crime by military law ever since Revolutionary War times (Powers, 2012).
Owens, Mackubin Thomas. “The Case Against Gays in the Military.” Wall Street Journal. 03 Feb 2010: A. 17. SIRS Researcher. Web. 29 Mar 2011.
hard working women as whores and lesbians and felt the women on the front lines of combat were only there for the moral support of the male troops. These false accusations humiliated the women and had a huge impact on the attitudes of people and policies regarding women in front line combat for the decades to come” (Moskos 54). Along with these accusations came the tests of the military manpower and strategies.
Richard Mohr believes that outing closeted homosexuals is morally justified. He argues that sexual orientation is not a private matter and therefore, does not violate a homosexual's right to privacy. He believes that outing will increase the homosexual community by creating positive role models. He argues that remaining in the closet is morally debasing and creates indignity to one's self. Claudia Card on the other hand, argues almost the complete opposite. She takes a utilitarian stance on outing "the big secret." The big secret is referring to one being a homosexual. She believes that outing is justified as long as it does no harm, which she believes is unlikely.
The essay by Peter J. Gomes, entitled �Homophobic? Read Your Bible,� can be analyzed in many ways. The essay discusses the issue of homosexuality as it relates to religion. The Baptist minister provides an unexpected approach to the subject. Mr. Gomes�s thesis statement in this essay is, �The army of the discontented, eager for clear villains and simple solutions and ready for a crusade in which political self-interest and social anxiety can be cloaked in morality, has found hatred of homosexuality to be the last respectable prejudice of the century� (�Homophobic� 414). This essay uses effective evidence to prove the thesis statement while also doing a good job of refuting opposing views.
"Military Faced with Sex Harassment - Woman battle unsympathetic justice system." Bergen Record. Nov. 1992: A-16
In September 2011, the United States lifted the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (DADT), which restricted gay, lesbian, and bisexuals from openly serving in the military. This was the first time in American history in which people of every sexual orientation could serve openly (“11 Facts About,” n.d.). This was a momentous occasion for some and not so much for others. For those military members that had served in secret and those members that were firmly against gays and lesbians, this repeal had different meaning. Both groups contained members that have served in the military for years and were products of the Former President Bill Clinton’s 1993 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. For many soldiers of this era, communication issues arose due to a pre-existing mentality, learned rules and regulations in services reinforced for two decades and the general cultural within combat related fields.
From the mothers and fathers of the daughters and sons in the military to the friends that are left back home when someone enlists and prepares on their journey, this film provides a starting point to influence conversation’s about the sexual violence and injustice prevalent across the DOD. The film speaks out to the audience’s emotions by delivering jaw-dropping statistics all while providing a strong ethical basis of trustworthy resources, interviews, and statistics. This documentary is a great example of how using pathos, ethos and logos to implore an audience to question how the DOD reacts to MST. By combining all these rhetoric appeals, Kirby is able to convince the audience that there is sexual misconduct in the military and there is no evidence to prove that they are doing anything about
The military since the Colonial Era has been an impetus for social reform in the United States. The Revolutionary War afforded Black Americans an opportunity to escape from the toils of slavery and fight for freedom. Some Black Americans even earned their freedom by fighting for the Colonists, but still the freedom they fought for wasn’t their own. However, the military was responsible for the freedom of many slaves and some of these freed slaves became legendary soldiers like Salem Poor. His performance in battle gave credibility for future arguments about blacks being allowed to serve.
Homophobia has been a problem for a very long time, all across the world. For example, during the Holocaust, in which homosexuals were forced to wear the “Pink Triangle”, a pink, upside down triangle, on his or her coat for identification. Of course, the pattern of homophobia is not only shown throughout world history, but American history as well. For example, sodomy laws, laws that rule certain sexual acts as crimes, were established as early as 1963. The penalty for these laws varied from state to state. Some of the punishments include: two to ten year imprisonments or two thousand dollar fines. The cruelty of these homophobic actions should not be accepted any longer. It encourages bullying, denies human beings their civil rights, and continues to foster a mentality of indifference and intolerance towards our fellow man.
What do Americans hope for when they send their young men and women to serve their country? Some will say justice and duty; others will hope that their loved ones gain respect and responsibility. But the overall idea that Americans want for their sailors and soldiers, whether overseas or on land, is safety. Safety from harm and from unnecessary evils that may be present in whatever zone they may be entering. What if that idea of safety was a farce? What if the very people we have sent to protect us, are becoming victims, help just a fleeting hope? America’s military is experiencing this epidemic currently. The epidemic is known as sexual assault. The commanding officers in charge of protecting our armed forces from undue violence can, in fact, be the ones hindering their safety and justice based on a myriad of discriminations. Sexual assault cases need to be taken away from military authorities and put into the hands of the civilian justice system to avoid unfair trials and mistreatment of victims. In turn, the results will offer victims and perpetrators fair trials and a chance to be heard.
The purpose of this essay is to discuss the issue of rape and sexual assault in the military. The number of attacks for rape and sexual assault in the military are at an all-time high. Women have recently been allowed to fight on the front line. While this may be a huge achievement for women-kind, for this woman, it is a very scary thought. I am a junior at Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences; a school geared towards students wishing to enter the medical field. I may be forced to join the military one day if a war breaks out and women are needed to protect the country. I would be happy to serve my country if I did not have to be scared of my fellow soldiers. Rape and sexual assault are major issues in the military and have been for many years without much effort to decrease the attacks. I am suggesting that unless the rape and sexual assault issue is fixed, the amount of people joining the military, specifically the women, will decrease greatly.
Throughout our nation’s history, women have played an important role in the military. It has not been until recently however, that women have been able to fully contribute to the military and be recognized for their past achievements in this area. With this new recognition and admittance, many debates and problems have arisen. One of the most common debates surrounds the idea of women in combat positions. Others include the issue of pregnancy, housing, and the physical requirements in order to serve. One problem that has arisen is that of the sexual harassment and rape of some women soldiers.
An issue that has, in recent years, begun to increase in arguments, is the acceptability of homosexuality in society. Until recently, homosexuality was considered strictly taboo. If an individual was homosexual, it was considered a secret to be kept from all family, friends, and society. However, it seems that society has begun to accept this lifestyle by allowing same sex couples. The idea of coming out of the closet has moved to the head of homosexual individuals when it used to be the exception.