Recently we saw President Obama sign away years of forced, down-low behavior in the military in the form of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
The bill will lift the 17-year-old ban on gay men and women being able to serve openly in the military. Insert Mahalia Jackson’s “We Shall Overcome” or Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” depending on your preference or mood.
"No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder in order to serve the country that they love," Obama said.
I went to college in Austin, Texas, and remember lots of gay military guys coming into town around payday from the nearby base in Killeen. I met an older brother who later became a mentor. He talked about the difficulty of having to keep his relationship with his partner a secret. Imagine if you had to refer to your wife as your “roommate” or your children as foreign exchange students?
The president seemed to capture the essence of popular opinion: “As one Special Operations war fighter said during the Pentagon review [...] ‘We have a gay guy in the unit. He's big, he's mean, he kills lots of bad guys. No one cared that he was gay.’ And I think that sums up perfectly the situation," Obama said in remarks preceding the signing.
I am an educator, but if I were in the military, I would love to have a few big, strapping Lesbians with good aim and father issues next to me if we were being attacked.
The military has seen this before when it integrated its ranks with minorities and allowed women to serve equally. Really, if you change the group being targeted, the same rhetoric and fears have been used to justify segregation of personnel.
I am always amused when one marginalized community does not see the oppression of another group. I remember talking to some of my uncles who served in previous wars about how, although they fought in some of the most active areas, they were treated as second-class citizens upon their return home.
I remember when the present war began and a few of my students had to quit school because they were called to duty. I did not care if they were black, white, male, female, straight or gay; I simply wanted them to return safe and unharmed. I believe families feel the same about their loved ones.
The mainstream seems to be moving more quickly on issues of sexuality. What are the implications for minority communities like African-Americans? If the military can begin to address issues of sexuality, will we see a similar movement in other environments, such as schools, universities and churches?
The president says it will take some time to implement the new policy. I know everyone is not secure with this decision, and some may still be apprehensive about their fellow comrades. To put their minds at ease, I offer Professor Locs’ Top 5 signs someone is your unit may be gay:
5. A female in your unit uses a razor, not to shave her legs but her face.
4. Your bunkmate has bedazzled both his combat boots and the strap for his gun.
3. While most of your team has hardcore rap on their playlist, you notice one guy has more Beyonce, Cher and Justin Bieber.
2. Most of the guys carry pictures of their families, but one has a picture of him and his “roommate” at Fire Island.
1. The tank driver likes to yell “Wheee!!” when driving over large sand dunes.
We should honor and celebrate anyone who is dedicated to serving and protecting our country, regardless of their race, gender or sexual orientation.
Please Subscribe and support.
