A Queer Decision, Frankly

Just for the record, folks, the military's "don't ask/don't tell" policy (instituted in 1993) clearly prohibits any gay or bisexual person from disclosing his/her sexual orientation/any homosexual relationships while serving in the U.S. Military. Granted, this policy has probably been relaxed during the Iraq War (as policies toward homosexuality have always been during times of war). But, still/theoretically, all that a gay person has to do to be discharged from the military is to simply say to the wrong person, "Yep, I'm gay."................................................As for the charge that civilian command has been the sole perpetrator of anti-gay policies over the years, here, too, a certain correction needs to be made. This, I'm saying, in that back in 1981, it was the Department of Defense (a department of the federal government, mind you, that includes the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Air-Force, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff) that issued a new (and, yes, far more stringent) regulation on homosexuality in the military - homosexual status/conduct now being grounds for dismissal. The regulation in fact was so clearly delineated that it was actually seen by its creators as impervious to court challenges..................................................Now, were these people (military and civilian) in the Pentagon acting on orders from the Reagan administration? I suppose it's possible. But if in fact that was the case, folks, I have found no evidence to substantiate it. I don't know, it seems to me as if the military itself (yes, along with every other institution of society) has had its own fair-share of homophobia over the years. We'll have to see if this resistance to change continues if Senator Obama is elected. It'll be interesting, huh?