'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Tougher on Minorities, Women

In fiscal 2007, 2,688 reports of sexual assault involving service members as subject and/or victim were filed. The Gender Relations survey, conducted by the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), was based on a sample of 23,595 respondents and found that 34 percent of active duty women and 6 percent of active duty men indicated experiencing sexual harassment, while 6.8 percent of women and 1.8 percent of men indicated experiencing unwanted sexual contact. There are approximately 1.4million active duty members in US combined armed forces. That said, its apparent the majority of incidents go unreported. Those majority of men and women who have been discharged under DADT, though victims of a discriminatory policy that should be abolished, were individuals that outed themselves. The "don't ask" part of the policy indicates that superiors should not initiate investigation of a service member's orientation in the absence of disallowed behaviors, though credible and articulated evidence of homosexual behavior may cause an investigation. Violations of this aspect through persecutions and harassment of suspected servicemen and women resulted in the policy's current formulation as don't ask, don't tell, don't harass, don't pursue.

I'm inclined to think that the majority of gays in the military do not want to tell or be asked.

How about we just leave it up to the majority ?
Now thats a novel idea !

I crindge as I read this story, not because of the topic at hand but it is the insulting fashion in which the author used to describe those of us who don't condone the homosexual lifestyle.

I proudly served in the military, to this day I oppose gay soldiers and their lifestyles being forced upon straight soldiers. You usually have no choice in who you share close quarters with in the military and it is immoral to insert any kind of sexual tension in those areas of operation. I believe that it is why the male and female soldiers are housed in segregated barracks as we speak.

"But it would be nice if macho military men could get over their fears of serving with gay men and women. I guess facing their own psychological demons head on, even in our enlightened age, might be too much for them."

I became enlightened every Sunday morning.

I'l say it again, the U.S. Military is not the private social club of gays or straights. It is serious work. Quit the social engineering, it doesn't help anyone.

Many use the "I'm Gay" just to get out of the Military that can't stand being in. I knew several people that used it when I was in.

Why are we shocked by this? Women and minorities have always been the easiest target. There is not logic behind it.

I severed 20 years in the U S Navy and was a supervisor for 15 of those years. I only had one (1) occasion that a sailor under my supervison was removed from the military under the DADT ACT.
I was division officer of a unit when a sailor walked in my office and said "I want out of the Navy". I asked the sailor why? The sailor told me, "I want to go home and I am tired of being overseas". Of course the military does not work like that. You can not just go home. I asked the sailor if there is any thing I could do to help with a problem that the sailor had. (the military has outstaning couselers and support groups that can handle any type of mental,finacal or physicle problems. The sailor told me no. I called in the sailors supervisor and asked if there was a problem that I should Know about? The supervisor said that all he knew was the sailor wanted to talk to me.
About a week later the sailor once again was standing in my office requsting to return home and still wanted out of the Navy. Before I could say anything the sailor put ten (10) pictures on my desk that showed the sailor and another sailor ingauged in shocking behavior. I had no choice but to turn over the pictures to the commanding officer. This might explain some of the reasons people use the DADT and the numbers are high.

gotta love the media!!....they're nothing if not consistent...this headline is straight off of page one of their playbook, it reminds me of the old joke when the world comes to an end the front page of the New York Times will read: "world coming to an end. women and minorities hardest hit".