Reply #16: perhaps I wasn't clear [View All]

[m berst]

I didn't say that you made the connection to anti-war activism. I didn't give you a completely clean bill of health, for the simple reason that you are new, you didn't go into much detail about your position (which you now have) and because I had just recently heard several right wingers connect don't ask-don't tell with the draft so I was suspicious.

"If you're not gay, then I can't expect you to know that. If you are, then you haven't been paying attention."

Guilty of not paying close enough attention. Thanks for making me aware of this.

By "no gay people in the military" I didn't mean literally, but rather that it is not relevant to their service to country, and that it is not a legitimate basis for judging, discriminating against or defining a human being.

"I agree its nobody's business, but to say there are no "gay people" in the military because if this policy is naive. There are, have been, and always will be gay people in the military. Acting like an ostrich and putting you head in the sand so you don't see it doesn't change that fact. It is also a highly discriminatory (sp?) policy. Gay people cannot openly acknowledge their life partners, cannot talk about their boyfriends or girlfriends like "straight" people do. There's a whole host of situations where gay people must remain silent or risk punishment and/or discharge (dishonorable of course).

Great paragraph, and I am in 100% agreement with you.

Welcome to DU, and I apologize for being suspicious of you.