President Obama will end the 15-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has prevented homosexual and bisexual men and women from serving openly within the U.S. military, a spokesman for the president-elect said. Obama said during the campaign that he opposed the policy, but since his election in November he has made statements that have been interpreted as backpedaling. On Friday, however, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs, responding on the transition team's Web site to a Michigan resident who asked if the new administration planned to get rid of the policy, said: "You don't hear politicians give a one-word answer much. But it's 'Yes.'" The little-noticed response, made in a video posted on change.gov, made barely a ripple outside blogs focused on the gay community, but that's not surprising, said those who have been pushing to overturn the ban. Not only was Obama's position expected, they said, but support for reviewing or repealing the policy has grown markedly in recent years, including some from unexpected quarters.
Obama said during the campaign that he opposed the policy, but since his election in November he has made statements that have been interpreted as backpedaling. On Friday, however, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs, responding on the transition team's Web site to a Michigan resident who asked if the new administration planned to get rid of the policy, said:
"You don't hear politicians give a one-word answer much. But it's 'Yes.'"
The little-noticed response, made in a video posted on change.gov, made barely a ripple outside blogs focused on the gay community, but that's not surprising, said those who have been pushing to overturn the ban. Not only was Obama's position expected, they said, but support for reviewing or repealing the policy has grown markedly in recent years, including some from unexpected quarters.
From the lips of Press Secretary Robert Gibbs himself.
Told ya. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
Pretty big process from the early days of the Clinton administration, when it was 44%. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
there are practical problems that the military will have to develop regulations about. E.g. who is allowed to shower with whom?
So the whole problem seems to be that heterosexual servicemen who might engage in homophobic humour in the locker rooms have "gay panic" about being naked in the presence of an openly gay colleague? Or that the said openly gay colleague being there will inhibit the said good old boys' homophobic fun?
Male showers, female showers, get over your homophobia, should be the policy. (But see It's always about the restrooms by Helen on July 22nd, 2008
The first openly transgendered servicemember will be the real nub of this. Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith
Male showers, female showers, get over your homophobia, should be the policy.
What is it? Do people think they are going to be hit on by gay people just because they're nude? In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
I actually think that all that "pushing" and unnecessary show of guy's (not gay's) nudity in sport's locker rooms is actually bad taste...
So you're objecting to heterosexual behaviour in male locker rooms ? And youthful too, cos my memory was that it was really just schoolboy stuff. However, I don't think anybody is forcing you to take part in anything you find distasteful and it seems that communal changing facilities ring that bell for you. Okay, cool.
But I'm not sure it has anythig to do with guys, straight or gay, changing together generally. Most gay guys manage to get through their days without shagging the nearest male they can put their hands on, in fact given societies general distaste, gay guys are usually much more discreet (not always, cottagers are pathetic) and much much more in control of their desires than heteros. Gay guys rarely harrass f'rinstance.
So, what you're circling around without saying it is a variant of the gay panic defence, which is the hetero guys variant of the feminist attack on teh trans. It's kinda old and very very tired, not to say tiresome, but if that's where you are, then that's where you are.
Let's just say most of us are so over it and move on. keep to the Fen Causeway
So you're objecting to heterosexual behaviour in male locker rooms ? And youthful too, cos my memory was that it was really just schoolboy stuff.
You may be right.While I may excuse teenagers I find that when adults are involved in that kind of 'show' FOR ME it's distasteful.
However, I don't think anybody is forcing you to take part in anything you find distasteful and it seems that communal changing facilities ring that bell for you. Okay, cool.
This is not a point. As asdf said :
"The issue is that if there are mixed showers for gay and straight people, then what is the argument against female & male mixed showers?"
Most gay guys manage to get through their days without shagging the nearest male they can put their hands on, in fact given societies general distaste, gay guys are usually much more discreet (not always, cottagers are pathetic) and much much more in control of their desires than heteros. Gay guys rarely harrass f'rinstance.
I don't know but I'll take this as truthful.Still some people may feel diferent.
Let's just say most of us are so over it and move on.
Well NO, but I actually think that all that "pushing" and unnecessary show of guy's (not gay's) nudity in sport's locker rooms is actually bad taste...
WTF? All what pushing? All what unnecessary nudity? What sort of guys changing rooms have you been hanging around in?
All what unnecessary nudity? What sort of guys changing rooms have you been hanging around in?
Repealing DOMA is much more of a litmus test that DADT but I'm hearing that that too is pretty much expected to go through on the nod, even if Obama himself is against gay marriage. After his Prop H8 mess, he owes the LGBT community something like that.
But the big one is a fully inclusive ENDA; that's the one the LGBT crowd are really watching and waiting for. Everything else is just posturing, ENDA will significantly affect gay people's lives for the better. keep to the Fen Causeway
