Don't Ask, Don't Care, on Dispatch from the Razor's Edge

And "Telling my dad that I am gay-LIVE"

"I really don't care if one of my Marines (or sailors, or soldiers, or airmen) is gay. If they have made it through the rigors of training, and they have proven their ability as per their rank or position, I am far more interested in their ability to get steel on target than if the pin-up they have on the inside of their helmet has the same plumbing as mine."

- SGT. B, on Blackfive.net

Just a belated cheer for the end of the Don't Ask Don't Tell and the ban on gays serving in the U.S. military. Plus congratulations to all our serving and deployed gay soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen.

As Andrew Sullivan has said, the two great civil rights that will spell equality for gays are marriage and military service. In a free society, individuals are free to feel like they want about gay people. The government must treat everyone equally. Equality under the law is the bedrock of our society.

And as I've pointed out, the Israel Defence Forces have allowed gays to serve openly for two decades. If that were a detriment to combat effectiveness or unit cohesion, believe me that they wouldn't be doing it. When the Arabs lose, they go home. If the Israelis lose, they all go into the sea. People whose backs are to the wall and who are surrounded by enemies let gays do their fighting. Discussion over.

Apologies if you've already seen this video of a U.S. airman stationed in Germany coming out to his father, in Alabama, after the repeal of DADT. (Almost 5 million people have.) Both heartbreaking and totally heart-warming.

Oh, here's a great slideshow of service members who came out after the ban, on Slate.

gay civil rights israel the military

Dispatch from the Razor's Edge is owned and operated by novelist, technologist, vegan, exercise junkie, classical liberal, rambler, and Londoner Michael Stephen Fuchs.

Fuchs is the author of the novels The Manuscript and Pandora's Sisters, both published worldwide by Macmillan in hardback, paperback and all e-book formats (and in translation); the D-Boys series of high-tech, high-concept, spec-ops military adventure novels – D-Boys, Counter-Assault, and Close Quarters Battle (coming in 2016); and is co-author, with Glynn James, of the bestselling Arisen series of special-operations military ZA novels. The second nicest thing anyone has ever said about his work was: "Fuchs seems to operate on the narrative principle of 'when in doubt put in a firefight'." (Kirkus Reviews, more here.)

Fuchs was born in New York; schooled in Virginia (UVa); and later emigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lived through the dot-com boom. Subsequently he decamped for an extended period of tramping before finally rocking up in London, where he now makes his home. He does a lot of travel blogging, most recently of some very long walks around the British Isles. He's been writing and developing for the web since 1994 and shows no particularly hopeful signs of stopping.

You can reach him on .

Most recent

Most read

Most commented

By tag

Related

Dispatch from the Razor's Edge is owned and operated by novelist, technologist, vegan, exercise junkie, classical liberal, rambler, and Londoner Michael Stephen Fuchs.


2023 >> 2022 >> 2021 >> 2020 >> 2019 >> 2018 >> 2017 >> 2016 >> 2015 >> 2014 >> 2013 >> 2012 >> 2011-12-20 2011-12-19 2011-12-16 2011-12-10 2011-12-04 2011-11-13 2011-11-11 2011-10-21 2011-10-20 2011-10-17 2011-10-13 2011-10-06 2011-10-05 2011-10-03 2011-09-30 2011-09-29 2011-09-11 2011-09-06 2011-08-10 2011-08-09 2011-08-08 2011-06-07 2011-05-19 2011-05-08 2011-05-06 2011-05-02 2011-04-28 2011-04-27 2011-04-26 2011-04-16 2011-04-15 2011-04-13 2011-03-23 2011-03-21 2011-03-18 2011-03-17 2011-03-16 2011-03-15 2011-03-11 2011-03-09 2011-03-04 2011-03-01 2011-02-17 2011-02-14 2011-02-12 2011-02-11 2011-02-10 2011-02-07 2011-02-06 2011-02-04 2011-02-03 2011-02-01 2011-01-31 2011-01-29 2011-01-28 2011-01-27 2011-01-26 2011-01-21 2011-01-20 2011-01-12 2011-01-11 2011-01-10 2011-01-08 2011-01-07 2011-01-06 2011-01-05 2010 >> 2009 >> 2008 >> 2007 >> 2006 >> 2005 >> 2004 >> 2003 >> 2002 >>	Don't Ask, Don't Care And "Telling my dad that I am gay-LIVE" "I really don't care if one of my Marines (or sailors, or soldiers, or airmen) is gay. If they have made it through the rigors of training, and they have proven their ability as per their rank or position, I am far more interested in their ability to get steel on target than if the pin-up they have on the inside of their helmet has the same plumbing as mine." - SGT. B, on Blackfive.net Just a belated cheer for the end of the Don't Ask Don't Tell and the ban on gays serving in the U.S. military. Plus congratulations to all our serving and deployed gay soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen. As Andrew Sullivan has said, the two great civil rights that will spell equality for gays are marriage and military service. In a free society, individuals are free to feel like they want about gay people. The government must treat everyone equally. Equality under the law is the bedrock of our society. And as I've pointed out, the Israel Defence Forces have allowed gays to serve openly for two decades. If that were a detriment to combat effectiveness or unit cohesion, believe me that they wouldn't be doing it. When the Arabs lose, they go home. If the Israelis lose, they all go into the sea. People whose backs are to the wall and who are surrounded by enemies let gays do their fighting. Discussion over. Apologies if you've already seen this video of a U.S. airman stationed in Germany coming out to his father, in Alabama, after the repeal of DADT. (Almost 5 million people have.) Both heartbreaking and totally heart-warming. Oh, here's a great slideshow of service members who came out after the ban, on Slate. Tweet gay civil rights israel the military ← before \| 1 comment ↓ \| after →