We think military service is one of the most honorable roles a person can take. To put oneself in harm’s way to protect the freedoms of a society is something that commands respect. Even so, it has taken far too long for the basic rights of homosexuals to be recognized.

We don’t think this will change the culture of military — laws do not automatically change minds — but we think removing government-sanctioned discrimination would be a step in the right direction.
The American military is a different type of creature. As former Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill McPeak pointed out in a New York Times opinion piece: “(Don’t ask, don’t tell) aimed to protect the institutional integrity of the services, which have no higher responsibility than to organize, train and equip formations that are effective on the battlefield.”

The idea behind the policy is to maintain unit cohesiveness. McPeak states, “We know, or ought to, that warriors are inspired by male bonding, by comradeship, by the knowledge that they survive only through relying on each other. To undermine cohesion is to endanger everyone.”
Perhaps McPeak is correct in assuming openly gay troops will undermine unit cohesion — only implementation can prove or disprove his theory. We feel the heart of the matter is that the government should not sanction discrimination based on sexual preference. As the de facto protector of civil liberties, the government has a duty to make sure the laws it creates and enforces do not impede the personal rights of its citizens.

Clearly, there are differences when it comes to the military. It is allowed to discriminate against candidates based on attributes such as height, weight, age and education. These are things we assume play a role in combat effectiveness.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell” is different in the sense that it acknowledges homosexuals as fit to serve, but does not give them the right to express themselves. This suggests the problem does not lie with the individual, but with the military culture. If everyone were gay, there would be no problems with unit cohesiveness. It is not a problem with gays, but with their acceptance in the culture.

It might be an unpalatable change for a tradition that McPeak calls “self-contained” and “resolutely idealistic,” but it is change it has to embrace. The military is still a part of our government and as such is subject to the laws of the land. Yes, it has duties and rules that are very different from those of the civilian populace. It is still a part of our society. Soldiers, for all their training, are human beings at the end of day. Putting on a uniform does not strip the wearer of their rights as a citizen of this country, nor does it give the wearer the right to do so to anyone else.