This weekend was a big weekend for some people. The repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" came through and the President is due to sign. I often read and sometimes comment on our local paper's website. Some of the comments about this issue are astounding to me.
Here is the link if you would like to read all of the comments, but I am going to pick a few that really flabbergasted me.
"According to an article by the CDC (center for disease control) on August 24, 2009, that in the United States AIDS is fifty times more prevalent among men who have sex with men than the rest of the population. I have just one question. Would you want to be in a foxhole, or in a tank with someone that has a 50% greater chance of giving you AIDS if he gets hit and his blood goes all over you?"
" This just opens the way for fashion shows on every US base round the world."
"...homosexuals have always served but now bedroom antics and pink uniforms can become the mode of the day."
My answer to these comments:
"It makes me sad to read here that some believe that being gay is about AIDS, HIV, wearing pink and fashion shows. Ignorance.
Gays have been serving in the military since the military has been in existence. This appeal allows them to serve without worrying about having their jobs at risk, their benefits, retirement, EVERYTHING stripped from them just because they are gay.
I truly believe the ONLY thing that is going to change is that there will be no more wasted time on investigations on whether or not one of our military is gay or not. What a sad waste of time and tax payer money.
Anyone who is currently in the military or will one day be in the military is not there to make it a platform for their sexual preference...they are there for the same reason as everyone else. To serve.
Some other comments have already made excellent points in retort to the HIV/AIDS issue...but I do want to point out that there was a HUGE issue with HIV/AIDS and various other sexually transmitted diseases from soldiers back in Vietnam days whom had sex with prostitutes (FEMALE) while serving overseas. This has been an issue for quite some time and is STILL an issue. I personally know of one soldier, married, who came back from the Philippines this year with a lovely gift of herpes for his wife. He admitted to sleeping with multiple prostitutes while serving in the Philippines.
It all comes down to the morality of a person and being gay does not lower ones morality."
What I didn't include, because it had been said in other comments, is that military is tested for EVERYTHING, including HIV/AIDS, so I would say the chances for becoming infected with HIV, while fighting in a foxhole, is slim to none .
There was a later comment about HIV/AIDS and that my timeline was wrong. It is not. You can do basic research to find that many Vietnam vets contracted HIV/AIDS, in various ways, opium (heroine) use was one of them as well, and just because they didn't know what to CALL the disease, does not mean the disease was not contracted.
Commenter said, "1975:Last Americans Evacuate as Saigon Falls..." "1979:Gay men in the US and Sweden..."
I guess four years made all the difference to that commenter.
The ignorance in that statement alone is disconcerting. Apparently, this commenter believes that vets in Vietnam were immune to the disease because they didn't know what the disease was called!?! Also, HIV/AIDS was not "discovered" until 1981 and didn't have a name until a few years after that. However, HIV/AIDS existed WAY before that time. It has, so far, been traced back to the 19th century (1801-1900).
Certainly none of us want to consider the fact that our heroes came home from war with HIV (and various other sexually transmitted diseases), but if you are going to bash gays in the military, and use HIV/AIDS as one of your bashing points, then you cannot exclude the simple facts.
I am reminded that it wasn't too long ago that blacks had separate water fountains, places on buses and schools, women were not allowed to vote and last, but not least, I live in the South...these types of prejudice are a long way from disappearing.
I would appreciate your thoughts, positive or negative, agreeing or disagreeing. I like to keep an open mind about these things and DO understand SOME of the concerns, though it appears that people are entirely too focused on the STEREOTYPE of being gay than actually understanding the overall importance of this issue.
