The U.S. military asks possible enlistees if they want to ""be all that they can be."" However, the military itself fails to live up to this motto when it denies gays the right to serve.
A recent campaign called ""Right to Serve"" shines light on the injustice of the military's ""don't ask, don't tell"" policy. Locally, three UW-Madison students tried to enlist in the military and were rejected after revealing they were gay.
The current policy in place concerning gays in the military, which was passed in 1993, prohibits gays from discussing their orientation or sexual relationships. It also states that commanders are not allowed to investigate the sexuality of their charges. This policy is out of touch for several reasons.
Estimates put the cost of the ""don't ask, don't tell"" policy at over $363 million since its inception. These costs have gone in to training replacement military personnel, some of which have been critical, such as translators. Wasting resources in this time of military necessity when our forces are already stretched so thin is a shame.
From 2001, when the War on Terror began, through 2005, the military has discharged 4,376 persons. These as well as the costs mentioned are critical to maintaining a strong and effective military.
Since the U.S. government has continually increased the military budget since 2001, it is important that the country gets the most out of its tax dollars.
The policy is also bigoted and out of line with American idea of freedom of expression.
Recently in American culture, we have focused on hate crime laws and protecting the rights of minorities. The government should not allow an essential part of its operation to be impervious to these rules. Telling people that being who they are will result in trouble is simply a form of discrimination.
One argument commonly bandied about for keeping the ""don't ask, don't tell"" policy is that it protects the macho culture of the military. However, the only way to protect the culture of the military is to make it so that everyone is proud to serve and not afraid of hiding their true identity.
We hope the ""Right to Serve"" campaign and the efforts of young men and women across the country will encourage a change in the military's policy.
