ASKED AND TOLD, BABY “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, said this week in a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said, according to a piece on NPR this past Tuesday, that “it was his personal belief that ‘allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do.'” No matter how we look at this news – what with a pending official “review” of the issue and then an act of Congress to turn the cur commonly known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – we can’t help but stand a little straighter, shoulders back, chin tucked, chest thrust (helllllloooooo), shoes shined, hat straight (ummmm just about the only thing straight), proud to think that our LGBT service peeps might finally, actually have a rat’s-ass chance at true pride in the country they defend. Because, truly, we, as Americans, have not served them well. Yes, I admit, I am very conflicted about the armed services in general. Let’s shelve that thought for now, however, and go where my (rather impressive) gut takes this. Both my mother and my father were career military people. Despite my passive lefty fervor, I couldn’t be more proud to be their daughter (may they rest in peace – or at least be cutting some mad jitterbugging rug at the USO dance in the sky), proud to know they lived their convictions openly and honestly, no matter what their parents or family thought. It’s time now for every person who serves the United States of America to be able to bask in the same open and honest glory.
This article appears in February 5 • 2010.