Ban Disrespect, Not Gays, in Military

The military's ban on gays will end this week, on Sept. 1. It will remain legal for Air Force Academy cadets, and those in other military institutions, to secretly hate lesbians, gays, bisexuals or transgendered people. It is the right of any member of the military to believe other members are sinners destined for Hell. Thoughts, values, beliefs and sexual proclivities belong to individuals. That is precisely why we should not have policies that exclude individuals from service to government institutions on a basis of sexual orientation.

It is not OK for any member of our armed forces to treat another person or group with disrespect. Each has the right to hold disrespect in his or her heart — but not to express or act with disrespect while in service to this country. Unlike the private sector, the military is not an open and free society. Civilians are free to tell gay jokes in public, but military personnel have no such freedom. They are in the service and defense of all law-abiding Americans and are expected to serve in a greatly diverse group.

It is amazing to almost anyone under age 40 that individuals have traditionally been excluded from military service on the basis of sexual orientation and more recently have been told by government to conceal their sexual identities. In general, young Americans don't like the divisive nature of their country's past.

Some rightly act with dismay upon learning of racial injustice in a country that was founded for no reason other than to uphold the freedom of individuals to live peacefully as they choose.

Injustice based on sexual orientation is not identical to injustice based on race, though it is similar. It is different because government could never accept blacks into the military with a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Few are able to conceal ethnicity, but individuals can keep quiet about their same-sex intimate desires or relationships. Additionally, some people believe — probably by mistake — that sexual orientation, unlike ethnicity, is a choice.

All such considerations are the splitting of hairs. In a great society, humanity will consist of a tremendous variety of individuals. Not all will love or respect one another. But all, for the sake of progress and peace, should treat one another with respect.

It is that simple. All concerns about openly gay Americans serving alongside openly heterosexual Americans have no merit if military brass demand respect among the ranks. That means no gay jokes, no sexual proselytizing, no harassment and no other forms of disrespect.

"It's all about creating and reinforcing a culture of respect," said Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, the academy's superintendent, in an interview with Colorado Springs Gazette reporter Tom Roeder.

Had respect been properly enforced throughout the academy's history, the institution may have avoided past scandals involving mistreatment of women and non-Christians.

Individuals with radical differences don't need special skills or sensitivity training to live and work peacefully together. None of us needs to change our morals or beliefs. We need only act and communicate with respect. It's a simple, reasonable and moral expectation. It is an essential ingredient to achieving and maintaining the freedom our military is supposed to protect.

REPRINTED FROM THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE

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