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This isn't really about UFOs, EBEs, Abduction, or the Universe, but I really liked this article and wanted to mention is here for my readers. It comes from one of my favorites bloggers, Robert Barrow and has to do with the recent discussion of nixing the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, and letting gay men and women serve openly. As some of you are aware, I am an openly gay woman, so this is certainly not an anti-queer piece. Quite the opposite. Here it is for anyone interested:
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Can't Shoot Straight
By Robert Barrow
It's way past time for modern military forces to take a tip from ancient armies -- the gay thing was always there. Imagine the countless numbers of gay people who served and died in wars for this country. Why should they be forever invisible and unacknowledged? Thank you for your service, but you don't exist, nope, you were never here, couldn't be, we don't allow those kinds of people into our ranks. Why, it's just not compatible with our religion (our religion?)...
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*Photo courtesy of Henna (via WikiMedia Commons) - Dykes on Bikes, Icelandic Gay Pride, August 2004
7 comments:
Looking at this issue from a historical perspective is probably the right thing to do, but he should look at the history of the US in particular because in terms of sociology, our government/society was founded by religious extremists escaping persecution from Europe.
Yes, I'm speaking of the Puritans/Pilgrims. Ever since we've been severely schizophrenic and emotionally crippled as a society when it comes to sex.
Should we be more enlightened now-a-days in the 21st Century despite our religious extremist roots?
Yes we should be. But realistically obviously we're not.
We as a society are no more, or only slightly more enlightened than the Muslim extremists we profess to hate and fight.
I agree with your assessment of our current stage of 'enlightenment' which leaves more than a lot to be desired. I have to try and look at it with some ounce of hope, so it is important for me to remember that gays (where the queer community is concerned) live better now, openly, than in the past. With each generation, things do improve. I suppose that is something.
I was out of it for awhile there, in several ways.
I try my hardest to "judge" people one-at-a-time, as individuals. As such, I am not really very pro- the gay "movement", in that there are so many types of tolerances we are actually talking about when it comes to this.
I have "gay" friends, of both sexes, and I hope to be, and have no reason to think we won't be, friends for life. Their "gayness" has absolutely nothing to do with my feelings for them as friends. They are just cool people...period. I would trust them around, and with my children, any day, and I genuinely like them.
And that is the base of it, for me...that is, homosexual people are exactly that...they are people. Being people, there are "good" ones, and "bad" ones. Some of the bad ones are preditory, and seem to gravitate toward young kids, and I have a real problem with that. Others are really about a completely open sexual society, and I am not on that page either. We already have too many young people having to face sexual vulgarity, at a younger, and younger age(and yes, this isn't the fault of homosexuals, my point is to those ones in the ranks who seem to think its all about sex, and not truly about equality at all)
The "good" ones are just people...like every other decent person I know...except that they are attracted to those of the same sex.
As for the military, I think that you are a soldier first, and everything else second. I don't want any person to be overlooked for any astounding achievement, ever. At the same time, I don't think I quite understand what it means to "serve openly" in the military.
"Hi, I'm Sergeant Randolf...oh, and by the way, I'm gay" ??? How about just being Sergeant Randolf, soldier.
Anyway, my real point is that I wish the issue was truly about accepting people that are different, but in some cases it goes so far beyond that. I can't stand hatred of others, in this light, or any other...and yet this hatred comes from both directions. We've got the misguided Holy-er-than-thous on the one side, and the extreme anti-Christs on the other.
Both sides need to get real.
Just my opinion.
I have never understood why people throw out their sexual orientation when it is not in question, unless they are doing so to prepare peoplefor when they do happen to mention their partner, avoiding the possible uncomfortable moment of shock or whatever. I dunno. I've never been big on wearing it as a badge in day to day life. In fact, I don't even look queer when I'm by myself and don't wear slogans.
As far as predatory peoples and open sexuality, that's both sides of the fence - gay, straight, bi, whichever. Obviously I am against any kind of sexual predator. But I'm all for people being open sexually (when its solely bout sex)... in private or at least in context. I think a lot of things really only need to come up in context.
I think my biggest problem with how queers are perceived is that many non-gay people still think its a “choice”. I can't tell you how nutty that drives me! If it were a choice, Id have probably chosen straight, lol.
But there is also the issue of visibility. It is important to have some people open and out because men and women just coming to terms with their orientation (especially younger peoples) need something visible so they know where to go. So they don't feel like they are mutants or something. So they aren't ashamed. I think it's also important to have visibility in all walks of life, in all fields, etc, so those gay newbies don't feel they have to hide, and can go for the jobs they want, at the places they want, and so on, without being overly concerned of harm or hatred.
When gays first come out, they often go through this kind of activism period. This is because they have finally started to like themselves and have found the courage to be who they are. There's a lot of pent up frustration in those people and they feel they need to shout it out. Its' therapeutic for them, and was for me when I needed it. It is different from the situations in which some never shut the fuck up about how gay they are just to be in-your-face.
Back to practical application of announcing your gay:
In situations such as a job interview, many queers will state they are gay. This is to avoid problems down the road when the boss goes past Bobby's desk and and sees a wedding photo of him and Thomas -- and then having to deal with all that fallout. Because if people are suppose to all live together without these separations, everyone should be able to mention what they and their partner did over the weekend, have photos up, and talk about things they did when younger. Just like non-gay people do.
I have had people say to me "You don't have to flaunt being gay" because me and my girlfriend were holding hands walking down the street. How is that flaunting? Is that like saying its ok to be gay as long as you don't do anything gay? Does that mean straight people flaunt being straight with PDA? I've never really understood that line of thinking.
And believe it or not, I have actually had guys say to me the old cliche "You just haven't had the right dick" lol. I don't think a lot of people realize that being gay is not simply about sex. And sometimes has nothing at all to do with sex.
I know it probably seems a little, uh, loud and obnoxious from time to time, especially with the Pride parades (believe it or not, a lot of queers detest the pride parade because of the image they feel it gives). But its all part of moving forward. The good and the bad. It will smooth out eventually (provided we don't blow up the planet) and we can finally all just be human beings again.
To 'Serve openly' in the military, to me, means that you can talk about your personal life just like anyone else can talk about their personal life. If Private Bob has a photo of his girl Betty near his bed, then Private Jane should be able to have a photo of her girl Sally near her bed. Openly means not hiding it like its some nasty secret. It doesn't mean shouting it at the top of your lungs while heading into battle.
And you are very right - there is hatred on both sides and that does no one any good. And for all of us to live together in proverbial harmony, we do have to start breaking down the walls.
Thanks for your reply.
I'm glad you mentioned the parade, because that is one of the items that makes me pause, and scratch my head.
Sure, I guess it's great for some to be able to gawk at all the "dikes-on-bikes", many of which are topless, but what message is that sending to everyone? Is the real issue that we should all be able to do what we want, whenever we want?
It gives the appearance that the real goal of many is degradation of the culture, to the lowest denominator, rather than the lifting of the veil, for equality's sake.
I think it demonstrates, for me, how all of us say we want equality, but many times, the real issue is power. In the Bible, the negative reference to homosexuals is in the context of the Roman Empire...not really the best of examples. I believe Jah judges person, by person...whatever, or whoever that person is. But some people who view themselves as Christians enjoy the fact that the Bible appears to give them a solid foundation to hate "Gays". This is, in my humble opinion, in direct opposition to the Christ's teaching, "...in all things be reasonable". Being a mere man, I can understand that people are all different, so why then should the maker of the awesome Universe not be able to?
But...if you march under a flag, what code are you marching by? What dictates the boundries of acceptabilty? Every club, church, team, military, and government has a code of ethics. Even the blood-drinking/vampire community seems to be coming to this realization...that without a "moral compass" of some type, you tend to, by inference, allow even the most disgusting of behaviors...because nowhere was it written that those behaviors were NOT ok.
In the "gay community", as a community with a flag, no less, there are no real stipulations of what it means to be gay, i.e., this IS, and this ISN'T...there is no such thing. It is up for interpretation. That is one of the things that adds to the difficulty of other non-gay folks from just accepting it, and moving on.
That said, we should all be pro-people, and pro-civil rights for all people. It is what forced us to re-think the slavery issue. It is what drove us to finally give Martin Luther King, Jr. his say, and his message...the message that should have been obvious already, that "all men(people)are created equal", the respect he/it deserves.
The message is clear. Freedom, and Liberty, and Justice...FOR ALL!
I think some things really do have to be seen through the eyes of the other side to understand them. That goes for both 'sides'. I don't have an argument about the flag, because I never really marched 'under' it as it were. Its not so much an icon for a set of guidelines, its more a banner for a people that have been persecuted that all happen to be gay. It is a symbol of unity and hope, and a safety beacon for some. I think the rainbow flag is ugly as sin, but thats besides the point ;) And yes, many people have been persecuted, not just gays, but that doesn't make living any easier.
Without even doing anything to actively seek the anger from other people, I have had a very rough go in life because I decided to live as any other person might live. Because I have done that, I have put myself in danger in a number of situations. No one should have to worry about being shot or beat to death with a frying pan because they like this or that person, or because they look a little different.
If people want the gay and the straight 'communities' to acclimate, then we need the help and support of the straight community to better educate people. We need allies. There wouldn't be a gay issue if it wasn't upon and then condemn years ago. Everyone wants us to 'just get over it' but is that really sensible? Can they guarantee the safety and understanding that 'straight' people usually receive?
We didn't exactly put us in this situation. And maybe we haven't done things perfectly either, but when a people are put in danger simply by existing and living their lives, there is a lot of room for shit to get fucked up. I know thats not very eloquent, heh.
And dykes on bikes -- I like dykes on bikes. It is sort of a novelty. My reasons for liking it are more selfish in that I think women on cruisers are hot. I also don't mind having a parade for queers. What does bother me is the blatant sexual overtones. While I am no parent, I am not very happy when I see a bunch of gay guys with inflatable cock balloons running up and down the streets in bondage gear. Of course, families could just not bring their children or themselves to the parade, but that doesn't work if people just happen to be out and about when the parade happens.
I have been in dykes on bikes -- with my shirt on. All the other bikers were fully clothed too. And while it was a cold morning, I think it still wouldn't have been much different had it been warmer. Not everyone here is out to shock the public, and the older the people in the queer community, the more they have grown out of that need to 'stick it to the man'.
What you will find if you get an opportunity to understand the gay community more, is that the shocking stuff and the most outrageous people often get the news. What you don't often see is the work thousands of people do to help educate the public without bouncing around naked on a float. There are a lot of good people here, and like any community, there are bad eggs as well.
You know how whenever they talk about UFOs on national TV and they interview the quacks or show the idiots at the Roswell parade and we all groan?
That's a lot like what happens to us.
And I will echo your statement here, because it is a beautiful one:
The message is clear. Freedom, and Liberty, and Justice...FOR ALL!
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