...Critical Thinking HU345-02 Unit 9 Final Project Gays in the Military Diana Brown Professor RonaldDean Davenport Kaplan University Gays in the Military The United States has been faced with different debates. Gays in the military has been one of the strongest political debates since the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy started almost two decades ago. A majority of democrats wanted to allow gays to serve openly in the armed forces, and the republicans completely opposed; they wanted to keep this policy, solely to ban gays from serving openly in the military. The policy completely prohibited homosexuals from serving in the military; if it was any suspicion of a person being homosexual, regardless if they were or not engaging in homosexual conduct, they were put under investigation; if it was determine that the person in fact was homosexual, they were immediately discharged. This was not only unfair, but discriminatory and at the same time unconstitutional. It is hard to understand how they got away with this for so long; this simply did not make any sense. For some Congress’ members and military officials the fear was that by allowing gays to serve openly in the military could cause more casualties and would endangered the troops.. In an interview with newspapers and wire service reporters at the Pentagon, Gen. James F. Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps at the time said: "you don't want anything distracting. . . . Mistakes and inattention or distractions cost...
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...Gays in Our Ranks “I don’t want any fruitcakes near me.” Those were the exact words that came from the mouth of Damien, one my co-workers, when I asked for his opinion on gays in the military. According to the latest polls from the National Post, 50% of military households feel the same way as him (Man para 7). Even with the majority of America in favor for letting gays serve openly in the military, this controversial topic is getting many Americans riled up. I stand on the side of the fence that supports the repeal on the ban that’s prohibiting homosexuals from joining the armed forces. There can be many benefits if we let gays in our ranks. It was Damien’s response that reminded me how ignorant people can be. I immediately insisted for a good explanation for his remark, but he wasn’t able to produce one. “If I’m in a war zone, I want somebody watching my back for my protection. I don’t want them watching me out of sheer bliss.” That was the explanation he gave me as he walked away with the look of annoyance on his face. I wondered, was he annoyed because he realized he sounded like a buffoon, or maybe my facial expressions revealed my disgust towards him. Homosexuals are human beings, and I am a strong believer that they should have the right to defend our country as long as they meet physical and ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) requirements. There aren’t many people who are willing to put on our nation’s uniform especially when America is at war;...
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...Gays in Society and the Effects on the Military Sean M. Czuchaj Introduction to Anthropology 101 Professor Michelle McBrady October 15, 2013 When it comes to homosexuals in society there are great many misguided opinions and active prejudices amongst the people around the world. More often than not those that associate themselves as being gay, lesbian, or even bisexual are chastised amongst their peers. The focus of this paper is to present an opinion as well as facts in a variety of subjects and how gays relate to them. Also to show the affect that gays have had on the military and policy changes that have positively impacted homosexuals. In many cultures, homosexual people are regularly the focus of bigotry and discrimination. Like those that associate themselves with many other minority groups they are the articles of prejudice, they are also the focus of stereotyping, which further adds to the “freezing out” from society. The prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping are all representations of forms of homophobia and heterosexism (or bigotry towards homosexuals), these can include negative assertiveness, prejudice, and discrimination in favor of heterosexuality and relationships. Heterosexism can embrace the belief that everyone is heterosexual or that opposite-sex allures and relationships are normal and consequently superior. Homophobia is a fear of, loathing towards, or discrimination against homosexual people. There are a number of different...
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...Serving in the military is for many the most honored position they will hold in their lifetime. Many dedicate their entire lives to serving their country. For some soldiers however their dream of proudly serving their country was cut short because they are gay, lesbian or bisexual. America’s attitude towards acceptance of homosexuals has continued to grow over the past couple of decades, but full acceptance and equality is still far off. Nowhere are attitudes towards homosexuality more conservative than in the U.S. military, yet even here attitudes are slowly evolving towards acceptance and equality. Gays and lesbians were banned from serving in the military until 1992 when President Clinton signed into law “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, which allowed homosexuals to serve as long as they did not discuss their sexuality, and the military could not ask about it. The debate about whether homosexuals should be allowed in the military at all and of whether they should be allowed to be open about their sexual orientation while serving has been ongoing over the last thirty years. Sexuality has no bearing on one’s ability to be a good soldier or on the cohesion of a military unit. Gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military, because the policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is harmful to both soldiers and the military. Human sexuality is complicated, yet we live in a society that tries to only see such issues in a black and white fashion. Homosexuals have been...
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...too different, not in the smallest ways. As a country, Japan isn’t sure how to relate to gay people, so their solution is to not relate to gay or homosexual this is why most social conformity requires gay people to stay in the closet. Most of the reason for this just plain ignorance of what being gay is all about. Most Japanese think all homosexuals have opposite-sex gender and all gay men are known to be call queens and all lesbians are butch. This does mean that Japanese society and Japanese individuals are actively hostile to gay and homosexuals. A certain percentage of people think being gay is just wrong due to conservative moral ideals, religious training and the notion that gay sex is icky. Now believe it or not the tradional concept of Japanese gay would be younger are standing at the corner of building or in parks in the “Shinjuku 2 nicchoume” this is a famous gay district in Tokyo, Japan. You can also find a lot’s of gay bars in old building. Over the years there has been many surgically sex changed men now wearing magnificent dresses. Many clubs in this area is off limited to American in the military for many different reason drugs and crime to just name a few reason for the military making this area off limit to military personnel. There are many gay bars, public baths dancing discos which is very big in Japan, love hotels are squeezed into this pathetic little area, where gay tend to come on weekends and holidays, to hang out or looking for extra fun. Aside from that...
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...Abrams Outline Name of Topic- Gays in the Military I. Introduction: a. Opening- In American culture there has been many controversial topics being debated. One topic is the ability to be gay and to participate in the military. b. Points you will make- Homosexuals should be able to join the military and engage in it without the criticism of fellow soldiers or working Americans. c. Thesis Statement: In American culture there has been many controversial topics being debated. One topic is the ability to be gay and to participate in the military. II. Body Paragraphs: a. Argument #1- Don’t Ask Don’t Tell works and doesn’t have to change. b. Argument #2- A person should not be criticized for his sexuality because he/she is an American. c. Argument #3- A person should be judged for the way they preform in battle not sexual preferences. d. Argument #4- There are a large number of gay men and women in the military that are being discharged. e. Argument #5- Discharging gays is costing America hundreds of millions of dollars every year which is uncalled for. f. Argument #6- Many polls in America has shown majority of people are for gays in the military. g. Opposition- Gays in the military could be distracting to other soldiers around them. III. Conclusion: a. Wrap up points made- Letting gays in the military keep to themselves about their sexuality would be a wiser move then banning them from the military because of the money saved and...
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...principles of the policy and its history of origin. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, Don’t Harass” (DADTDPDH or DADT for short) is a ban on lesbians, gays and bisexuals serving in the military. DADT is the only law in the United States that authorizes the firing of an American for being gay. There is no other federal, state, or local law like it. DADT is the only law that punishes lesbians, gays and bisexuals for coming out. Many Americans view DADT as a simple agreement with discretion as the key to job security. While this is true to some extent, in the eyes of a homosexual service member, it may not be so simple. An honest statement of one’s sexual orientation to anyone, anywhere, at anytime will lead to being fired. (Service Members Legal Defense Network) DADT was the result of a failed effort by President Clinton to end the ban on gays in the military. The bill was a result of the brutal 1992 murder of Seaman Allen Shindler. Bill Clinton, a candidate at the time, proposed ending the ban by issuing an Executive Order overriding the Department of Defense regulations that barred gays from serving. Congress, however, intervened and the ban was made law, theoretically preventing action by future Commanders in Chief. (Service Members Legal Defense Network) This law was significantly different from prior prohibitions on military service in three ways. First,...
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... | |WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 , 2011 | [pic] |ATTORNEY JOHN WASHINGTON | |BUL 5323 – BUSINESS LAW | Introduction Ever since its declaration in 1993 under President Bill Clinton’s administration, don’t ask, don’t tell (DADT) has been a major dispute amongst the United States citizens; especially those involved in the U.S. Military. Questions such as: “Is it even constitutional?” and “What are the pros and cons?” and “Should the policy be repealed?” have been propound. Subsequent to all of the questioning, viewed opinions and assessments, this subject generally falls into three perspectives: the permissive, the restrictive and the prohibitive. This paper...
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...Gay’s within the Military This is a paper about how gay’s are aloud within the military. I will have this paper based on the pros and cons on the subject. It will be how I feel about it and along with how I think others will be based on this subject. It will be a broad band about this and will hopefully get the point of why I think it is ok with gay’s being in the military. With gay’s being within the military, I’m ok with it. I was in the Marines and with the guys I was with who knows if they were or were not gay already. They have their own life and choices as well as anybody else that wants to be in the military. Everybody deserves a chance to do something that they would like to do in their life. They are people like you and me. There are people out there that will not do anything for the military but then you have people that want to do it but cant because of what they believe in. That would be like telling someone that they can’t do it because of their race. Everyone has their own point of view when it comes to something like this but I think when they started to allow gays in the military it has really changed more people than it was made out to be. Not only for the gays life but also people that have nothing against them are happy for them to be able to do something that others won’t ever think about doing. When I first heard that they were aloud I was too happy about it because you never know how they will react to certain things, but when it came to me thinking about...
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...This picture is meant to elicit pride in this moment just before a major victory that would boost morale. It depicts troops who are willing to sacrifice their life for freedoms, a tradition that is carried throughout American military history. Americans...
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...(Bellamy). The pledge of Allegiance is what almost every student in the nation recites or had recited every morning from the day they start school till the day they graduate, but why is it that we don’t truly mean what we say? The adults now that have formed rules such as “Don’t ask don’t tell” and that gays should not be allowed to serve in the military once said the pledge, and should definitely know what it stands for, so why do these rules not give us equality and justice for all? I believe that liberty is an intrinsic part of the individual; members of society can ensure liberty through government protection from the moment they are born or become a citizen of a country and obtain the individual guaranteed rights. Liberty has been defined as the condition of a society in which individuals can be free ‘politically’ and free to develop as individuals. For stable individual liberty to be maintained, the people must have oversight and control of the...
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...Gay rights is itself an important public policy issue, with strong elements of civil rights and equality. However, the political mobilization of the gay community has also raised a number of more immediate policy issues. Some of those have affected only the homosexual community, but others have had wider relevance such as AIDS research and treatment. As we noted earlier, the style of political activism invoked on gay rights issues has been less that of interest groups and more that of a movement. Still, as that movement has become institutionalized, so too have the forms of interaction between it and government. One of the most important political milestones in that interaction occurred during the Clinton administration with respect to military service. During his first presidential campaign, Bill Clinton had advocated greater rights for the gay community and had received overwhelming support from those voters. One issue that his gay supporters wanted addressed was elimination of the prohibition against homosexuals serving in the military. Once elected, President Clinton encountered substantial resistance from the military to any change in the existing policy. military leaders defended their traditional stance of excluding homosexuals by arguing that permitting homosexuals to serve alongside heterosexual soldiers would be detrimental to morale. The solution that the Clinton administration developed was labeled "don't ask, don't tell", meaning that there would be no efforts...
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...Homosexuality in the Military Leondre L. Torrance Instructor: Lisa Smoot Sociology 17 February 2012 Introduction Modern controversy over the rights of gay people to serve in the military aside, the reality is that homosexuality as existing within the military is as old as the history of armed forces. Clearly, it cannot be otherwise, as homosexuality itself is an orientation within humanity, and consequently as old as mankind's origins. What changes is sociological perspective, and nowhere is this factor more keenly evident than in how the overt presence of homosexuality is acknowledged by the military and accepted by the societal base. Different cultures of different epochs have viewed this subject in varying ways, depending, not unexpectedly, on the belief systems in place in those cultures. No matter its direct purpose or size, the military of any nation must still be a representation of that nation's values. Consequently, the perceptions of each regarding homosexuality translate to how acceptable, or unacceptable, it is within the armed forces. It is therefore all the more interesting that the United States, arguably the most liberal and democratic of modern nations, has so long reflected an ambiguity, if not outright hostility, regarding gays in the military rarely seen in ancient, and supposedly less enlightened, eras. The U.S. consistently prides itself on a commitment to individual liberties, and most emphatically since the turbulence of the...
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...States government’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy has prohibited any gay or bisexual person from revealing his or her sexual preference or from speaking about any gay relationships, including marriages or other family related attributes, while serving in the military. The (DADT) also prohibits superiors from initiating investigations of a service member's sexual preference without credible evidence of "homosexual conduct”. The policy should be repealed because the personal privacy of someone should not dictate their fighting ability or duty fulfillment as long as the job is being done correctly. According to The Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”(Jefferson, Thomas). The great thing about being in America is that a person can be whatever or whomever he or she pleases; people are supposed to be able to express themselves in any way, shape, or form. The psychological toll on gay and lesbian service members has come at a great cost; they are forced to conceal their identities and live in fear of being “outed” (Samuels 10). The only thing a person wants to do is live their life, and be treated equally. Prejudice and ignorance are two of the most disturbing problems of our society today. The way gay soldiers are treated today is no exception. Many have been forced to resign...
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...The policy prohibited military personnel from harassing and discriminating against closeted homosexual members and banned openly gays from military service. In Military Policy Toward Homosexuals, Davis discusses how: homosexuality is incompatible with military service…yet there are certainly homosexuals within the military. Current policy is to not let them in, if they somehow get in, they are to be put out. To facilitate this process, current policy allows separation based on homosexual tendencies alone, without proof of any homosexual acts. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy negatively affected the gay community, although many believed its original intention was to reach a compromise between the military and the gay and lesbian community (Belkin). Members of the military may only have a problem with gay and lesbian soldiers because they are experiencing the effects of the “mob mentality.” What I mean by “mob mentality” is that when members of a group are together, they tend to behave in a manner that they might not have when alone, or in a more intimate...
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