US homosexuals still fantasize about army uniforms

Homosexuals in the U.S. are in no hurry to celebrate victory. On October 20, the Pentagon actually legalized them in its ranks. However, the Court of Appeal of the United States temporarily reinstated the ban on military service of the so-called open homosexuals.

It seemed that their dreams came true. The other day, the U.S. military command announced that it will officially accept homosexuals to military service. The Pentagon has acknowledged that the recruiters were ordered to enroll "open gays and lesbians" in the ranks of the defenders of the American homeland.

Representatives of sexual minorities were hoping that now the army's rule Don't Ask, Don't Tell will be forgotten. Earlier, gays and lesbians could serve in the armed forces, but without openly acknowledging their homosexuality. If their sexual orientation was revealed, they were expelled from the army.

In other words, there are plenty of gay people serving in the American army, but now their status will be legalized.

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The rule Don't Ask, Don't Tell was established only in 1993. Its introduction was a great victory for the representatives of sexual minorities seeking equal rights with other Americans. Until that time, gays and lesbians were forbidden to serve in the armed forces.

However, their representatives were not satisfied with the progress and decided to go further. For several years they have been seeking the legalization of sexual minorities in the army and have finally won.

It is not surprising. The U.S. has a powerful gay lobby that promotes the interests of gay people. And not just among Democrats who are considered to be zealous defenders of human rights, but among Republicans as well. According to various sources, a total number of homosexuals in the U.S. already amounts to over 30 million people, and Democratic and Republican parties are fighting for their votes.

This allows sexual minorities to seek incremental concessions. President Barack Obama has been seen in kowtowing to the gay. In May of 2010 U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services voted for the abolition of the rule Don't Ask, Don't Tell. However, defenders of the moral image of American soldiers disagreed. On September 21, the Senate blocked this bill.

Yet, the gay were able to bypass even the parliamentary veto. Thereupon the judge of the Central District of California Virginia Phillips banned the expulsion of the gay from the army on the grounds that it contradicts the Constitution. But now the Court of Appeal has struck back.

However, the outcome of the game is actually clear. We can assume that sooner or later the American sexual minorities, given the favorable attitudes of many politicians, will win.

According to the research conducted by the United States Urban Institute, until recently, the U.S. armed forces had 65,000 gays and lesbians. In other words, three percent of the total number of personnel, while their number among civilian is twice as large.

36,000 gay persons were registered on active military service, and another 29,000 reservists. Most of them are lesbians. This is not surprising, as gay men are less likely to serve in the army.

However, the authors of the survey pointed out that in reality the number of representatives of sexual minorities can be 50% higher, as the information was collected only on same-sex couples, and single people were not taken into account.

It should be noted that in the recent years, gays and lesbians were rarely expelled from the armed forces. The United States is engaged in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and every bayonet is on the account, especially when it comes to experienced soldiers. Another issue is of financial nature. The dismissal of homosexuals in the past 10 years cost the treasury 363.8 million dollars.

However, nobody can provide assurances that the legalization of the gay in the armed forces will not cause the reverse effect. Senators who voted against Obama's bill justified their position by the fact that these changes will cause a drop in morale and combat readiness of the army.

Sergei Balmasov
Pravda.Ru

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