Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Buh-Bye!
Check out this video from the change.gov website where Robert Gibbs says the Obama administration will get rid of the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. (It's the last question, at minute 4:17.)
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Wow. That actually made me a little teary with happiness.
Me too. *sniff*
Me too. *sniff*
Fantastic! It's about damn time. Finally, PEOPLE will serve in the military and not have to worry about keeping secrets. Honestly, when it comes down to it, in the military, it doesn't matter if you're female, male, black, white, hispanic, gay, straight, or transgendered. It only matters if you can live up to the standards that are set, shoot accurately, and carry out a mission. I see this as a first step to true equality among all lifestyles. Maybe the military will set it up so that partners of gay service men and women will have the benefits that their straight peers do.
If they don't allow partnership benefits then the discrimination will still stand.
Lifting the ban isn't the last step. Women have been allowed to serve for many years but still face discrimination and high rates of sexual assault/harrassment.
As gay people we still have to question serving in a military for a country that doesn't allow us the same opportunities or protect us with the same rights. gay peopel have served in the military for forever but still are denied many of the governmental rights they may give thier lives for.
We also, as everyone does, need to question the role of the military in the world.
There will still be work that needs to be done. Not to mention f-ed up wars to end.
You're right, there are many steps left to take, but at least we're starting on the right path.
I'm not about to believe that lifting the don't ask don't tell policy will save the LGBT community from discrimination. As you mentioned, women are allowed to serve, but they are discriminated against.
My partner's brother is in Army bootcamp right now, he sends home letters saying how he wishes women couldn't be in the military because they're such a hassle, he is not alone in his feelings.
Women are often discriminated against in the military. Gays are discriminated against in the military. It needs to be fixed, maybe Obama will implement policies to fix it, but I won't hold my breath on that one.
We also need to end these stupid wars.
That is interesting that you mention your partners brother saying that in bootcamp.
I felt that bootcamp was the start of training men to see women as weaker. We all were told that the woman at home were gonna leave the male enlistee's and send "Dear John" letters. We sang Jody calls denigrating women.
It was like we as women *could* be respected by the males but we had to earn it where them men automatically had it and had to lose it.
Whoops, I meant "the" men, not "them" men.
Don't thaw out the ice cream cake just yet. Obama reversed his decision on Gitmo. What he says and what he does have become more and more distant.
But.....I thought the entire purpose of ice cream cake was to eat it frozen?
What exactly did he reverse? Here's a headline from today:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28624679
Saying it's going to take more than the originally projected 100 days isn't exactly a "reversal"
yeah i don't think anyone expected BO 2 close Gitmo inside of 100 days. It'll take the new Admin that long just 2 find the bathrooms. LOL. He just needs 2 figure out how to properly try the terrorists & how to release the innocents.
Science!!! Woooohooooooo!!!!!!!!
Obama made a campaign promise that Gitmo would be closed inside of his first 100 days in office.
Since when do we take politicians' promises for gospel? Of any side of politics? The fact that he's still committing to closing it is good enough for me.
Also, there are a lot of realities to getting things done that you just can't be aware of or informed about until you've been elected, I'm thinking in terms of procedural protocol, confidential information, etc. that an electoral candidate can't know, but about which I assume the president-elect is informed.
By your reasoning, any politician can do a reversal and justify it as "I wasn't informed." We can't let our elected officers get off the hook that easy. It was a long campaign, and there was plenty of time to come up with a solid plan on what to do with Gitmo.
I respect any person changing their mind when new information is brought to light. But that leads to this question: What new information about Gitmo did Obama receive?