So Der B what do you think would happen if Obama gave an executive order as head of the armed forces (assuming such a thing is legally possible) that no form of discrimination may be practiced in the armed forces for reason of sexual orientation?
Do other nations still have bans against gay soldiers/sailors etc.....?
Boy - do you want a dissertation! (I have spent many hours the past few years dealing with this subject - and there is considerable debate with the Gay community on timing and details)
A. Currently I know that the following, at least, have no ban on gays in the military:
Canada
Australia
United Kingdom
The Netherlands
France
Israel
B. Next comes the issue of "Orientation" vs. "Conduct". Some would propose allowing openly gay personnel to serve as long as they did not commit homosexual acts. Actually, The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) criminalizes (major felony) acts of Sodomy - and makes no distinction as to sex - oral/anal sex between husband and wife is just as felonious as between boy friends. In fact aggressive supporters of Don't Ask-Don't tell say that admitting to sexual orientation is a testament to the intent to commit homosexual acts - and use that as a justification to ban "tellers". It would seem that if there is to be a meaningful lifting of the ban, the UCMJ needs to be revised to decriminalize sexual conduct between consenting adults (except, perhaps, for between Officer and Enlisted).
C. Truman integrated the Armed Forces by Presidential decree - and told the Army resisters to just "suck it up" -and was successful. Clinton tried to do they same thing and the resulting uproar was Don't Ask-Don't Tell (DADT) - which satisfied nobody.
D. The status of DADT is very command dependent; there are still commands that go on witch hunts, and other commands that pointedly turn a blind eye.
E. Obama has said he will lift the ban - he carefully didn't say when or how.
F. There are a few well organized, well financed fringe groups that will move heaven and earth to stop a lifting of the ban. If Obama tries to "Lift the Ban" by Presidential decree in the first year, without laying a lot of ground work, it will blow up in his Administration's face. While there are some Flag Officers who support lifting the ban (including one retired Joint Chief), the majority seem to be opposed.
G. If Obama is to be successful, he must first get the Military Brass to agree to not openly oppose the change in policy.
(I have my own personal scheme on how to help this come about; one of the people on the short list for Sec'y of the Navy (SECNAV) is an openly gay man, William White - well qualified. Nominate White as SECNAV and get the Senate to approve it (if he can't do this, he'll never be able to lift the ban). Now, with a gay man as SECNAV, ask the Joint Chiefs to address the issue of allowing other gay man to serve openly. I want to see that Admiral stand up and say "no gays in the military" when his boss is one! )
H. As ground work for lifting the ban, Obama needs to get congress to pass other gay-related civil rights bills like the ENDA (Employee Non Discrimination Act) which has languished for years under the Bush Administration.
I. I disagree with many of my compatriots in that I think a big all-or-nothing push early on might just end up with nothing. If Obama is going to be successful in lifting the ban, he will need to devote a lot of time to careful planning and implementation. As much as I would like to see the ban lifted, I think the Administration has more important issues on its plate right now. I can live with "Yes, I'll lift the ban, later."
J. Lifting the ban is just a small part of the major issue of gay rights - nature/nurture/choice. As long as the opponents of gay equality believe homosexuality is something you choose, like a wardrobe, we will have a problem. Until the religious communities realize that "Gay" is not what I do, "Gay" is what I am we will have a long hard struggle
der Brucer
