The United States Army has launched a new website to keep Soldiers and their families up to date with the ongoing implementation of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: http://www.army.mil/dadt/
I’ve had an insider’s view of this process. I was in Afghanistan during the run up to the repeal of DADT this past fall, as well as the signing of the bill repealing DADT into law. After a short break (and I do mean short, but that’s a story for a different time) I found myself in Iraq and have been watching the response of my peers as the repeal has been slowly implemented.
What’s it been like? I’m proud to say it’s been distinctly drama free. I can, of course, only speak for my little corner of the Army. Maybe somewhere else it’s caused some distress, but not around these parts. Everyone I’ve worked with, discussed the issue with, or even when I’ve over heard other’s conversations, has treated the entire event with a collective shrug. No one, it seems, really cares, and those who do care seem to be conducting themselves as professionals.
The stilted pace of repeal has, of course, created fodder for new genres of gay jokes. The fact that the repeal is all but official, but not yet official, is often referenced. Someone does or says something that could be construed as unmanly, and someone else calls out, “Hey now, it’s not legal yet!” or “Watch yourself, you can still get in trouble for that shit,” and everyone snickers. I don’t take this kind of joking to be homophobic so much as heteronormative; more a comment about slightly off kilter hetero behaviors than a real expression of actual anti-gay bias.
If you’ve been following the news on the repeal of DADT, you’ll recall that among the requirements necessary for DADT to be officially repealed is the need for each service Secretary to certify that their branch is fully trained and prepared to implement the change. I went through the training this past April and was pleasantly surprised with how well the Army presented the issue.
The basic gist of the training? “Yes, we know some people don’t like homosexuality. But this change is coming, and we expect you to act like professionals and treat EVERYONE with respect and dignity. We’re not asking you to be happy about it. But you have to accept it.”
The instructors then ran through a few of the obvious questions about the implementation, and at the end they read through a handful of role-playing scenarios and solicited group feedback about what they felt was the correct way to handle the scenario under the new policy. Things like, “A female spouse of a service member is in the PX and witnessed two male soldiers share a quick kiss. This woman then approached these soldiers and slapped one, stating they were “gross.” You’re an MP and have been dispatched to the PX. What do you do?” Another scenario read, “You’re a company commander. A gay soldier under your command comes to you and states that he attended a religious service where the chaplain declared homosexuality is a sin. The soldier felt offended and wants to lodge a complaint. What do you do?”
At this point in our training – since conversation was now being solicited – I was personally gratified that the instructor actually had to pull the conversation back on topic since it had shifted to a passionate discussion of how wrong DADT is and the immorality of discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. Then again, my Army unit consists of a bunch of Massachusetts computer geeks, hackers, and IT managers, so we may not be the most representative population. Still, I’d like for the general public to understand the Army isn’t all homophobic redneck gun bunnies looking to “go stomp some fags.”
A few interesting points I think you all may not understand or be aware of about the implementation of the repeal of DADT:
- There will be no separate bathrooms or showers for gay and straight soldiers.
- Soldiers will be roomed together in barracks or other shared living quarters without regard to sexual orientation.
- Chaplains can openly practice and express their beliefs about homosexuality in keeping with their religious traditions when carrying out their role in religious services.
- Homosexual soldiers who have been married in a state that offers marriage equality will not have that marriage recognized by the DoD as long as DOMA remains law. This means that the spouses of gay soldiers are not eligible to live in military housing with their soldier-spouse, nor are those spouses eligible for health care or other benefits normally afforded to spouses of heterosexual Soldiers.
- Sexual orientation is not being treated as a protected class for EO or discrimination purposes.
One last anecdote that I think really sums up the mindset surrounding the repeal of DADT: My commander attended “leaders training” prior to presenting the DADT training to the larger unit. At one point towards the end of the leaders training, the instructor solicited conversation from the group and a chaplain spoke up and said, “Look, there’s man’s laws and there’s God’s laws. I’ve got to follow God’s laws.” My commander (in all sincerity) asked him, “So, what are you going to do then? This repeal seems to put you in kind of a tight spot. Are you going to get out of the Army and stop serving as a chaplain?” To which the chaplain replied, “Well, you know… I’ve got 18 years in and I’m only a couple years away from being able to retire…”
(Images: Advocate.com, Sniper.us)