On February 2, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen both testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee supporting the abolition of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that discriminates against gays serving in the military. Some of the points that Gates and Mullen emphasized I had highlighted in my last post on this subject. (Elisabeth Buhmiller, “Top Defense Officials Seek to End ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’,” New York Times, February 3, 2010)
Their testimony event signaled a critical turning point in that debate. This is the first that time that the senior civilian and uniformed military leadership have advocated full inclusion. Although some members of the Senate panel voiced opposition to the change, momentum in favor of the change now seems irreversible. Continuing opposition from religious bigots seems likely.
Everyone in the religious community should be clear, regardless of their views about the morality of homosexuality. Gays and lesbians serving in the military is not a religious issue but a civil rights issue. All citizens have duties to their nation that include paying taxes, voting, and perhaps serving in the military. Sexual misconduct – whether heterosexual or homosexual – has no place in the military (or civilian life, for that matter). Religious conversations about the morality of homosexuality have a place in the public square but have no right in a secular nation to limit civil rights. Religious leaders should take the lead in denouncing religious bigotry and in opposing misguided efforts to impose that bigotry on public life.
4 comments:
About time. I think why we are moving on this is because the military is so short of people, that we see a need to change the gay issue. Our Senator McCain still wants a pure military, but I have not heard him say we need a draft to make everyone's son and daughter a good patriot.
What gets me is they say it will take a year to change the policy. Would you trust these people to lead you?
I stand by my feeling that I don't want to see heterosexual or homosexual activity while on the job.
Talk is so cheap with politicians.
The ban on homosexuals serving in UK forces was lifted in 2000. This article in the New York Times is a good summary of the consequences or rather the lack of them. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/world/europe/21britain.html
It is no longer an issue over here. Now all we've got to do is to get the church to get over its damaging obsession with sex....
I came to your blog after reading an article in "Têtu" ( the French version of "the Advocate" ) and noticing how baffled its readers are about the propositions to change DADT policy. When they read about soldiers being outed by revelations they made to doctors or ministers they can't believe it. In France secrecy of the confession or the confidentiality of a patient medical record are both sacred ( all new doctors still have to take an oath dating from the Greeks).But then, no discrimination for sexual orientation is legal in our country, whatever the administration. What I'd like to know is what position, legal or ethical, your church holds regarding private confidences , since i suppose you are not bound like the catholics are . Lisa
The Episcopal Church, like the Roman Catholic Church, holds to the confidentiality of the confessional. The U.S. military similarly mandates that chaplains shall not disclose any information disclosed in a conversation that the person with the chaplain intends to be a religious act of conversation. Either some military chaplains have violated that precept or the ministers who have provided such information have not been military chaplains.
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