Today, the U.S. military policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” or “DADT,” ended with a whimper for most of America’s youth, instead of a bang. That says volumes about the progressive attitudes of today’s generation.
The policy, put into place in 1993, acknowledged that out or not, gays served in the military. In the 18 years since the policy was put into place, it’s become much more acceptable in society to be homosexual in America. As a whole, today’s college-age people have grown more accepting of gay lifestyles.
That lack of stigma, the end of one part of institutionalized discrimination, lends itself well to the future of the American military as well as American society.
The millennial generation has seen multiple overseas wars, including Desert Storm and the “wars on terror” in Iraq and Afghanistan. With each one, it’s become more and more apparent that a person’s sexual orientation has nothing to do with one’s ability to fight bravely and honorably for one’s country. With each war, it became more and more ridiculous that soldiers had to sublimate their personal lives to serve.
Today our society made it to the point where the government has no place in the personal lives of its soldiers.
The military began accepting applications for openly gay recruits weeks ago, which was long overdue.
Even those who are training the future generations of officers in the Army, Navy and Air Force are ready to move forward. Air Force Col. Reni Renner, vice commandant culture and climate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Col., told the Chicago Sun-Times that the Academy is “postured to deal with issues that we may not have foreseen as they arise and help our cadets of whatever gender or sexual orientation that they might espouse to live, and work, and grow and become officers of character for our nation.”
But there’s still some work to be done. Everything’s still not equal in the military.
The government, and by extension the military, always has lagged behind society’s notion of norms. Even with the repeal of “DADT,” same-sex partners still will not receive the same military benefits
as heterosexual couples. Hopefully the public reaction to this repeal of government policy reveals to those in government that they need to catch up to societal norms once more and offer equal benefits to the families of all soldiers.
Now that “DADT” is over and done with, we can all rest easier knowing the men and women who protect us are perhaps a little more comfortable in their skin. Ultimately, though, the reaction to the reforms today is the display of a generation of people who cared less about the intimate details of a soldier’s life than his or her ability to defend the country.
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “‘DADT’ repeal reflects our generation’s view” on social media.
