Our Voice
Finally, the don’t, ask don’t tell policy was removed
Sept. 20 marked the end of the military’s 18-year ban on gays serving openly in the military.
The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was a law enacted in 1993 that prohibited any gay or lesbian person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation, lest they be discharged.
According to The New York Times, the policy has resulted in over 13,000 servicemen and women being discharged from the military. And why? Their sexual orientation. For what? Leading a lifestyle deemed “unacceptable” by the government.
We at The Colonnade think it is absolutely repulsive this policy was even put into effect in the first place, and we are thankful for the fact that the administration finally came to its senses on this one.
Maybe we’re too supportive of gay rights, or maybe we just have common sense, but on what planet is it acceptable to fire someone based on his or her personal life? You don’t see a policy threatening the termination of straight people for having a few too many one-night stands.
Do you know what we think this repeal is? Progress. Finally, our country has taken a step in the right direction. Maybe we will live to see the day gay marriage is legalized throughout this country. Considering all the uproar the DADT repeal has created, we highly doubt it. But one can be hopeful, right?
What The Colonnade doesn’t understand is why, when our country operates on a voluntary military, was our government so willing to deny individuals the right to serve solely based on their sexuality? As Americans, we are both proud and thankful for what our military does. We are aware of the danger they put themselves in every day, and we will tell you one thing – you don’t see us volunteering to do it. So why deny that right and privilege to people who are willing, eager and able to do the job?
As former five-term U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater once said, “You don’t have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight.”
What if Georgia College had a policy that denied you the right to be openly gay? Professors, administrations and fellow students were specifically instructed not to ask you about your sexual orientation, and essentially warned you to keep your sexual preference secret. If you didn’t, you would be expelled. You would be denied your right to an education in the same way our servicemen and women were denied for 18 years their right to serve their country.
If this policy ever existed in our university system it would never hold up in court. So why did it hold up in our government and military administration for so long? The answer – ignorance.
We at The Colonnade are applauding Congress’s decision to repeal this policy after 18 long years. We believe it is a huge milestone in our country’s long battle for equal rights and that the efforts of the gay servicemen and women should not go unrecognized.
Today we ask that we all celebrate the death of a very misguided and discriminatory policy. Rest in peace DADT, you will not be missed.
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