I understand political realities. But I also demand fairness.
So the slow, painful repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” that is making its way through Congress as we speak has to be classified as a small victory for human rights.
And yet, it is far too slow, bowing toward a notion of “realism” and “pragmatism” that allows fear to trump fairness for gay and lesbian soldiers, granting the homophobes in the military far too much leeway.
On a related but separate note, the DADT battle makes me a bit uncomfortable, because of the inherent contradition: I oppose militarism and the expansion of the military, tend toward pacificism and loathe the strain i our culture that glorifies the soldier and the warrior ethos, while also realizing that the military can play a normalizing role in society, as it did for African Americans when the military was finally desegregated under Truman.
As things stand now, gays and lesbians are not considered equal citizens because they are prohibited from serving openly in an institution whose members many view (unfortunately) as demonstrating the absolute height of citizenship. The repeal of DADT will make it more difficult for the neanderthals and homophobe to continue to insist that gays and lesbians must be treated differently. The edifice of discrimination — the marriage ban and all that comes with it, the lack of antidiscrimination statutes covering the LGBT community in too many states and the general aversion too many still feel toward LGBT people — becomes weaker once DADT is a thing of the past.
So slow, deliberat progress is not a bad thing, but the LGBT community — and those of us who support its cause — need to push hard to make sure the progress is consistetnt and begins to pick up steam. We should not be satisfied until there are no distinctions, until each American — hell, every human being — has the same rights and privileges and can live the lives each of us choose to live without interference from our neighbors.
Hank Kalet 