Military ousts more gays for online ads – Read the article, I’m not summarizing this one because it’s long and you need to read it all, especially if you’re GLBT and considering military service! Sheesh!
I just don’t understand why people, gay or straight, or so appalled and up in arms and just plain surprised when active duty military members are released from service due to online personals ads. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell doesn’t just mean your superiors won’t ask and it doesn’t mean you’re ok as long as you don’t go up to another active duty person and proclaim your gayness. It means you CANNOT TELL ANYONE YOU ARE GAY, except maybe your doctor and that doesn’t happen in military clinics too much – trust me on that.
Let me help you folks who are gay and serving or gay and considering serving. YOU CANNOT TELL, not on a message board not on a blog, not on a personal ad and not in a chatroom, not in an email, not in a telegram (too bad this all doesn’t rhyme, I could do Daily Dose of Dr Seuss!). You cannot talk about being gay and you cannot live gay AT ALL because if you do and someone finds out and reports you then you have violated your enlistment and you can (and should be, because you knew the rules when you raised your right hand) discharged.
You may not like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. I may not like it either. But those are the rules, right now. Either live with them or violate them, but do not be surprised when your career suffers because of your violation.
Personally I would prefer you not enlist if you cannot live within the rules of military service. Crummy rule or not, you’re wasting tax payer dollars by being brought up on these charges. Paperwork and man hours lost might not be a big deal when you compare it with bombs and searches for WMD but it’s bugging the heck out of me. Don’t ask, Don’t tell or Don’t Join.