God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. -Jesus (Matt 5:9)
Monday, December 27, 2010
Gays, Guns and Green Backs...
There is a lot of various debates and discussions going on out there in media land about the DADT/Open Gay issue in the military. The angle I find interesting is captured in some of these images I have seen in the debate.
This video of Rep. Barney Frank, a gay member of congress is a perfect example of the polarization and straw-man nature of issue debate in our culture. I'm not a soldier, so I have a hard time with all of this stuff, I am not sure exactly what to think about it. From one angle as a straight male, I have various uncomfortable thoughts. From a Christian...there are many thoughts...and from an ethical position in regards to gender equality and the evolving future policies in regards to mixed company/showers/bunks etc...I think many of the arguments made for open and integrated views on sexuality could be applied to many other money saving changes. Single bathrooms, showers, barracks etc...could save a ton of money, eliminating marriage bonuses or housing perks, de-funding matters relating to sexuality or marriage...there's a lot of angles to take on all of this. Whatever the case, it will be interesting to see how the next administration handles this ball once it is passed, especially if it's a Republican or Independent Admin.
I have mixed thoughts about DADT going away. Part of me thinks it might be a good step towards getting the military out of the church and vice versa. On the other hand, that is basically just giving over the military culture to secularism and creating a lot of discomfort for the large number of self proclaimed Christians in the military. Is that good or bad? I can't say.
First of all, I think there are a few elements this congressman is overlooking in reference to when he talks about college students and people in gyms showering together. In the military when you shower together, you do just that. Thirty men or women, together, naked in the same stall, with individual shower heads. This is where many military people begin to feel uncomfortable. In a college or gym, you can go into a stall and have some privacy. There is no privacy in showering in basic training.
The second issue here that he's overlooking is, where "do" they shower? When I took drama in college, there was a gay guy in my class. He changed with the girls, not the guys. As a woman, I felt very uncomfortable with this arrangement. Just as I would feel uncomfortable with any man changing in the same room as me. It is a modesty issue. Do gay women shower with men? Do gay men shower with women? Or, do they shower with their own gender?
The third issue is that in basic training, the idea is to break you to train you to deny yourself when you are at war. Men and women are not allowed to co-mingle in basic training. We didn't even eat together. The TI (or DI, depending on your branch) purposely singles people out in the beginning of basic training and screams at them for looking at the men (or women), shaming them, making an example out of them. We aren't even allowed to have dessert with our meals, they take the candy that comes with the MREs away. We are talking denial of every pleasure, including sexual. How does that play out when you have gay women and men in the military? Maybe I'm over thinking this bit, but it's a thought that occurs to me every time I think about this debate.
I find myself annoyed at his complete lack of regard for what I see as a very valid question, if we repeal DADT, does that mean that men and women co-shower together? If they want to make men and women equal in the military, if they want to "save" money, as it were, I think this is a very valid and important question and should not be blown off as a silly argument. I think it is a good question that needs to be answered, because obviously a lot of people are thinking about it.
@dreamchaser, believe me military officers are worried about all the issues you've brought up. We'll just have to make it work and it won't be pretty for the first few years for sure. There will be lots of congressional investigations where parents or servicemembers call their representatives and those representatives then get involved into Private X's situation and demand an answer from the secretary of the army on down to the soldier's unit. The outcome of these investigation and how the secretary of defense tells the army to answer congress will define the details of the policy in the end.
3 comments:
I have mixed thoughts about DADT going away. Part of me thinks it might be a good step towards getting the military out of the church and vice versa. On the other hand, that is basically just giving over the military culture to secularism and creating a lot of discomfort for the large number of self proclaimed Christians in the military. Is that good or bad? I can't say.
First of all, I think there are a few elements this congressman is overlooking in reference to when he talks about college students and people in gyms showering together. In the military when you shower together, you do just that. Thirty men or women, together, naked in the same stall, with individual shower heads. This is where many military people begin to feel uncomfortable. In a college or gym, you can go into a stall and have some privacy. There is no privacy in showering in basic training.
The second issue here that he's overlooking is, where "do" they shower? When I took drama in college, there was a gay guy in my class. He changed with the girls, not the guys. As a woman, I felt very uncomfortable with this arrangement. Just as I would feel uncomfortable with any man changing in the same room as me. It is a modesty issue. Do gay women shower with men? Do gay men shower with women? Or, do they shower with their own gender?
The third issue is that in basic training, the idea is to break you to train you to deny yourself when you are at war. Men and women are not allowed to co-mingle in basic training. We didn't even eat together. The TI (or DI, depending on your branch) purposely singles people out in the beginning of basic training and screams at them for looking at the men (or women), shaming them, making an example out of them. We aren't even allowed to have dessert with our meals, they take the candy that comes with the MREs away. We are talking denial of every pleasure, including sexual. How does that play out when you have gay women and men in the military? Maybe I'm over thinking this bit, but it's a thought that occurs to me every time I think about this debate.
I find myself annoyed at his complete lack of regard for what I see as a very valid question, if we repeal DADT, does that mean that men and women co-shower together? If they want to make men and women equal in the military, if they want to "save" money, as it were, I think this is a very valid and important question and should not be blown off as a silly argument. I think it is a good question that needs to be answered, because obviously a lot of people are thinking about it.
@dreamchaser, believe me military officers are worried about all the issues you've brought up. We'll just have to make it work and it won't be pretty for the first few years for sure. There will be lots of congressional investigations where parents or servicemembers call their representatives and those representatives then get involved into Private X's situation and demand an answer from the secretary of the army on down to the soldier's unit. The outcome of these investigation and how the secretary of defense tells the army to answer congress will define the details of the policy in the end.
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