Sexual Tolerance of Gays in the Military

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Sexual Tolerance of Gays in the Military In 1999, more than 1,000 men and women were discharged from military service due to their sexuality. That number has actually decreased compared to recent years. (Suro NP) Homosexuals were purged from federal employment in 1950, with Bill Clinton updating that policy in 1993 by adding the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy. (Deicher 176) This policy doesn’t work and needs to either be updated again or the ban against homosexuals lifted. Gays should be allowed to fight for the military for employment reasons, the right to fight for one’s country, and because they are no different from anyone else. The fact of the matter is that not even experts can argue in favor of keeping the ban on gays in the military. With such strong evidence, lifting the ban should be the first priority for the newly elected president of the year 2000. Throughout the years, homosexuals have been the targets of embarrassment, harassment, and criticism from society. The most dominant and publicized way this is shown is by the ban on gays and lesbians in the military. We are one of few countries that forbid homosexuals to serve in their country’s armed forces. Germany, Japan, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Spain, and many other dominant countries in the world allow and encourage everyone in their culture to fight for their country. (Hogan and Hudson 185) We are actually hurting our country’s military by forcing possible volunteers to stay home and watch the news when they could be fighting for our country, just because of their sexuality. It is so ridiculous that letters are sent out to recruit U.S. men to fight in the army, but they wouldn’t accept you if you are not a... ... middle of paper ... ...lace as well as society. They would also make life easier and fairer to everyone, and finally would create a better way of living. Bibliography: Works Cited Deicher, David. The Question of Equality. New York: Testing the Limits, 1995. Goldwater, Barry M. "Ban on Gays is Senseless Attempt to Stall the Inevitable." Los Angelos Times: 1. 3 Mar. 2000 . Herek, Gregory. “Gays in the Military:Compromising National Security.” Non Line (1997): 7. 4 Feb. 2000 . Hogan, Steve, and Lee Hudson. Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia. Canada: Henry Holt and Company, 1998. Kelley, Kevin T. "Your Life is Filled With Questions. We're Here to Help Find Answers." The ggggggU.S. Army Reserves. 2000. Suro, Robert. “Military Tries to Reduce Harassment of Gays.” Washington Post 2 Feb. 2000: 8. 6 Feb. 2000

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