Volconvo Debate Forums - View Single Post - Air Force lesbian nurse discharged, 19 years service

underbear1 · Apr 14, 2006, 12:54 am

No, you are missing the point, this country NEEDS OUR talents especially our linguists. The military already admits they aren't drumming out gays/lesbians serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They'll let those poor misguided patriotic queers be body-bag fillers, and if they happen to get home unscathed, they can always shit-can them later. We (LGBT) didn't begin these wars, we have no consequence whether Iraq goes into civil war or the taliban retake Afghanistan. So y'all have fun over there.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ar...ing_more_gays/

Home > News > Nation

Military retaining more gays
Lawyers see growing acceptance in ranks
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | March 19, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The US military allowed at least 36 gay soldiers last year to stay in uniform, despite efforts by their commanders or fellow soldiers to have them discharged under the ''don't ask, don't tell" policy, according to a review of hundreds of cases in which soldiers sought to remain in uniform without denying their homosexuality.

The Pentagon declined to explain why more gay soldiers were being retained, but the lawyers who represent soldiers challenging cases under the policy say the Pentagon seems to have softened its stance on homosexuality.

The lawyers attributed the change both to a growing acceptance of gays within the ranks and to the military's need to keep more highly trained soldiers in the Iraq War.

''As the country has changed, so have the people in the military," said Sharra Greer, director of law and policy at the nonprofit Service Members' Legal Defense Network, which represents gay soldiers challenging their dismissals. ''More commanders are not enforcing [don't ask, don't tell] strictly."

In several of the cases over the past year, service members who were found to have listed their homosexuality on Internet dating sites were reprimanded but returned to duty, according to the case files. In other cases, senior officers were swayed by a service member's strong performance reviews.

''The equations for commands have shifted," Greer said. ''They are under enormous pressure to retain people. They do a cost-benefit analysis and we are hearing the same thing: 'I really don't care if you are gay and I am not going to kick you out.' "'

Recent studies have shown that many soldiers dismissed in past years under ''don't ask, don't tell" tended to be in highly trained specialties now in demand, including linguists and medical technicians.

Meanwhile, observers have noted that the Defense Department has recently softened its position on the ''don't ask, don't tell" policy.

For many years the Pentagon's public position was that the policy was crucial to maintaining ''good order and discipline" and that having gay soldiers serve openly in the ranks would harm unit cohesion.

http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/09/091305military.htm
Commanders Ordered Not To Fire Gays Until War's End
Santa Barbara, California) Scholars studying military personnel policy have discovered a document halting the discharge of gay soldiers in units that are about to be mobilized.

The document was made public Tuesday by Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (CSSMM), a think tank at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It was found during research for a story for the ABC news program Nightline.

The regulation was contained in a 1999 "Reserve Component Unit Commander's Handbook" and is still in effect, according to the Center.

It states that if a discharge for homosexual conduct is requested "prior to the unit's receipt of alert notification, discharge isn't authorized. Member will enter AD [active duty] with the unit."

The document is significant because of longstanding Pentagon denials that the military requires gays to serve during wartime, only to fire them once peacetime returns. According to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, gays and lesbians must be discharged whether or not the country is at war.

Gay soldiers and legal groups have reported for years that known gays are sent into combat, and then discharged when the conflicts end

. Discharge statistics corroborate a pattern of rising expulsions during peacetime and plummeting rates during military conflicts, and Pentagon statistics confirm that, as has been the case in every war since World War II, gay discharges have declined during the current conflict in the Middle East.

Apr 14, 2006, 12:54 am	#17 (permalink) (top)
underbear1 BANNED Posts: 2,630	No, you are missing the point, this country NEEDS OUR talents especially our linguists. The military already admits they aren't drumming out gays/lesbians serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They'll let those poor misguided patriotic queers be body-bag fillers, and if they happen to get home unscathed, they can always shit-can them later. We (LGBT) didn't begin these wars, we have no consequence whether Iraq goes into civil war or the taliban retake Afghanistan. So y'all have fun over there. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ar...ing_more_gays/ Home > News > Nation Military retaining more gays Lawyers see growing acceptance in ranks By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff \| March 19, 2006 WASHINGTON -- The US military allowed at least 36 gay soldiers last year to stay in uniform, despite efforts by their commanders or fellow soldiers to have them discharged under the ''don't ask, don't tell" policy, according to a review of hundreds of cases in which soldiers sought to remain in uniform without denying their homosexuality. The Pentagon declined to explain why more gay soldiers were being retained, but the lawyers who represent soldiers challenging cases under the policy say the Pentagon seems to have softened its stance on homosexuality. The lawyers attributed the change both to a growing acceptance of gays within the ranks and to the military's need to keep more highly trained soldiers in the Iraq War. ''As the country has changed, so have the people in the military," said Sharra Greer, director of law and policy at the nonprofit Service Members' Legal Defense Network, which represents gay soldiers challenging their dismissals. ''More commanders are not enforcing [don't ask, don't tell] strictly." In several of the cases over the past year, service members who were found to have listed their homosexuality on Internet dating sites were reprimanded but returned to duty, according to the case files. In other cases, senior officers were swayed by a service member's strong performance reviews. ''The equations for commands have shifted," Greer said. ''They are under enormous pressure to retain people. They do a cost-benefit analysis and we are hearing the same thing: 'I really don't care if you are gay and I am not going to kick you out.' "' Recent studies have shown that many soldiers dismissed in past years under ''don't ask, don't tell" tended to be in highly trained specialties now in demand, including linguists and medical technicians. Meanwhile, observers have noted that the Defense Department has recently softened its position on the ''don't ask, don't tell" policy. For many years the Pentagon's public position was that the policy was crucial to maintaining ''good order and discipline" and that having gay soldiers serve openly in the ranks would harm unit cohesion. http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/09/091305military.htm Commanders Ordered Not To Fire Gays Until War's End Santa Barbara, California) Scholars studying military personnel policy have discovered a document halting the discharge of gay soldiers in units that are about to be mobilized. The document was made public Tuesday by Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (CSSMM), a think tank at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It was found during research for a story for the ABC news program Nightline. The regulation was contained in a 1999 "Reserve Component Unit Commander's Handbook" and is still in effect, according to the Center. It states that if a discharge for homosexual conduct is requested "prior to the unit's receipt of alert notification, discharge isn't authorized. Member will enter AD [active duty] with the unit." The document is significant because of longstanding Pentagon denials that the military requires gays to serve during wartime, only to fire them once peacetime returns. According to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, gays and lesbians must be discharged whether or not the country is at war. Gay soldiers and legal groups have reported for years that known gays are sent into combat, and then discharged when the conflicts end . Discharge statistics corroborate a pattern of rising expulsions during peacetime and plummeting rates during military conflicts, and Pentagon statistics confirm that, as has been the case in every war since World War II, gay discharges have declined during the current conflict in the Middle East. Last edited by underbear1; Apr 14, 2006 at 01:05 am.