By The Beacon Editorial Board
We were glad to see such a good turnout during this week's discussion over the military's "don't ask, don't tell policy." We applaud the dialogue and hope events like this across the country will lead to the eventual repeal of the law.
Supporters of the law say the presence of openly gay service members in the military will hurt "unit cohesion" or whatever blanket term for disorganization they use. All the talk of "unit cohesion" sounds far less sinister, and less of a plight to the men and women in the military, than it really is. The law's supporters are saying that homophobia among the troops will hinder their ability to effectively do their jobs.
The same argument could have been made, and probably was made, when President Harry S. Truman desegregated the armed forces in 1948. The more racist elements of the armed forces were forced to stop dragging their knuckles and learn to work together. The same is true for the rest of American society.
The transition was no doubt difficult for some, and should the government enact a less restrictive policy regarding sexual orientation, the same will be true again. But to say American citizens and the soldiers defending them aren't grown up enough to learn to tolerate each other is an insult to their abilities. The extent to which one's squadmate's sexual orientation comes to mind in the middle of a life-or-death situation we may never know, but we think it's safe to say that our soldiers have enough training and good sense to prioritize better.
Intelligent discussions, like the one the Gay Straight partnership held, will lead to these conclusions and others.
