People's rights

When will the United States realize that people are the same no matter their color, their gender or their sexual preferences? People need time to get used to and accept new situations. For many years, Americans did not accept African-Americans as equals. Today they are treated equally; they go to the same schools and get a good education like everyone else. They also get good paying jobs. Today the United States has an African – American president. Unfortunately, for some people this is still unacceptable. I admit that black people still are not 100% accepted. The same situation is true in a gay person’s world. Even though the majority of people accept them and treat them as equals, there are others people who consider their lifestyle to be morally wrong. It is interesting that homosexuals are treated normal in many situations such as: schools, sports activities, the workplace and society, yet they are not accepted in other fields like in the military. These days there is a controversy whether gay people should serve in the military. People who are against it believe that having gay people mix with straight people in the military will create a lot of discomfort and will lead to violence among soldiers. Some people may believe this is true, yet I disagree. We must treat people as equals so others accept them as equals.

In 1993, then president Bill Clinton introduced a new policy called “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” which is still in effect. This policy allow gays to serve in the military with one condition: They had to hide their personal sexual orientation. Nobody from the military can ask soldiers what their sexual preference is, and they can not tell either. But if someone suspects a soldier is gay, that person has to tell the superior and after an investigation, the “gay” soldier will be dismissed from the army. Under this policy, gay soldiers have to lie about their private lives.

The United States is fighting in two wars. That means that the country needs lots of volunteers well trained to serve in the military. Unfortunately "In the 15 years since the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy was enacted, 12,600 service members have been dismissed…" ("Gays in the Military…"). This represents an important number for a country which is fighting in one war, let alone two. If we look at the military costs we will see that dismissing homosexuals costs the country another big loss: "The cost to the Defense Department: $191 million to recruit and train replacements" ("Let Gay Soldiers…"). The truth is that homosexuals have always served in the military. Decades ago many did not accept that lifestyle, but today, surveys demonstrate that almost 80% of Americans agree with letting homosexuals openly serve in the military. Thus, the country needs now more than ever lots of volunteers in the military. Why to loose so many of them because of their sexual orientation? Is this a good reason?

Another reason to stop punishing soldiers because of their sexual preference is because the U.S. is a leader in protecting human rights and promoting free speech. It is a country where everybody has equal rights and where discrimination is punished. Why the U.S. is not leading in the military gay issue? Is it because of the culture? Obviously, having gay openly serve is not a problem for others country. Today there are 28 countries which allow homosexuals to openly serve. A leader in the Royal Air Force from London stood in front of his team and told them that he is homosexual. Surprisingly, there weren't any odd reactions: "Far from causing problems, he said, he found that coming out to his troops actually increased the unit's strength and cohesion" (Lyall). An openly gay officer from British Army talked about a discussion he had with an American staff sergeant who complained to him, privately, that he "had a whole part of his private life that he had to keep separate and … couldn't discuss with people" (Lyall). Therefore, it is possible to be a gay soldier and openly serve your country.

Some people argue that allowing homosexuals to openly serve in the military will increase the opportunity for violence, sexual harassment, abuse and rape among the soldiers. However, I strongly believe that trying to hide it will make these situations happen more easily. Many female soldiers have reported that they are under investigation for being lesbians after they refused a male's advances. This accusation has become very common in the military. Some of the women, lesbians or not, accept dating male colleagues just to not be called lesbians. "Approximately one in three women in the military has been raped ... and around 90% have been subjected to sexual harassment" ("Women and …"). Thus, being open about your sexual preference will make soldiers' life much easier and they will get to focus more on the fight, than how to hide their private lives.

To summarize, soldiers serve their country because they believe in freedom and democracy. As a response, the country should give them their freedom and rights. Somebody said "Roma wasn't built in a day" and it is true. But how many decades have to go by before we accept people the way they are? If people are allowed to be themselves, then everybody will win.