It’s been 17 years since the last time our country seriously visited the issue of homosexual men and women in the military. And it seems as if the country’s attitude has vastly changed in that time.
President Bill Clinton, in one of his first acts as a new president, put the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy into place. The policy allowed gays and lesbians to serve in the military, as long as they kept their sexual preference a secret.
Following 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, we imagine that most people think that if an American wants to serve in the military, it probably doesn’t matter much about their sexual preference.
Back in 1993, when we weren’t actively engaged in multiple military engagements, the perception was probably different. Lives weren’t being lost, and recruitment wasn’t an issue.
But now that we as a nation have lost more than 5,000 men and women (including two more yesterday in southern Afghanistan) between the two conflicts, the issue of sexual preference seems less important.
We agree with Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the issue should be studied, and the current men and women in the military should be asked their opinion on the subject. But we also agree with President Obama that the time has come to look at the policy and, barring any significant reasons for keeping the current status, allow all men and women who want to serve their country to do so.
As a country, our perceptions have changed a lot in 17 years. And in our opinion, that’s a good thing.