Last week a huge civil rights victory was won by gay and leabians in the US ofA. Gays can now serve openly in the military. We can fight and be brojen and injured and killed for their countey and they can be gay too.
I have heard alot of slamming of Bill Clintin for having put this…custom…into place. And quite frankly it really pisses me off.
Have many vwterans been kicked out for being gay? Been injured and killed by thwur fellows for it? Lost life carers because of it? Yes, absolutely.
But for those of us who were around when DADT was adopted remember the context in history at that time and we should never forget it.
Whar DADT did was to eliminate the direct question on the recruiters’ interviews. No more are u a homosexual yes then get the hell out of my office. It was a huge, huge victory for all of us, not only thos who wished to serve and who were gay.
Were we as a minority satisfied with this policy? No. But it was a very, very impprtant step, shifting the military’s priorities and policies one step closer.
I recall very vividly Bill Clinton’s first week in office. Don’t recall what it was about exactly but it was a positive report on the issue of homosexuality. Wow. I recall being blown away that we were in the paper for something other than the freak-show that was Chicago’s Gay Pride Parade at the time.
I remember thinking wow, can we actually be visible? It’s impossible to fight when ypu’re invisible. Bill Clinton made the world aware that there was a gay community in this country. Which has set up the honest conflicys we are blessed to be fighting today.
Was Bill Clintin the perfect President? No. Of course not. Was he a scuzzball? Very likely. But in taking off the direct question are you or have u ever been a homosexual, he took the first major step towards equality.
So don’t rant on Bill Clinton for establishing DADT until ypu have the historical context. It was a miracle at the time.
Splinteredones's Blog 
D F said,
December 27, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Sometimes the steps to equality are too steep for some but as long as they lead up and not down, you can decide how easy it is for you to scale. Some of us forget we have longer legs than others 😉
Splinteredones said,
December 27, 2010 at 5:47 pm
The important thing to get, I think, is to keep historical perspective. Like when homosexuality was classed as a mental illness was a huge step. Finally–not a sin! If we lose sight the frustration leads us down political pathways that are not helpful. Thanks