I am a human 1st
I am a man 2nd
I am a black 3rd
I am homosexual 4th
My sexuality does not define me exclusively but it is apart of me. At work in the corporate world; I have to be professional and respectful while presenting a helpful and positive image to my clients.
I bring this up because of a recent article (Read It Here) I read concerning the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”; the military policy that prohibited homosexuals / bisexuals from serving openly in the military. The article was about an anonymous soldier who was basically stating regardless of the repeal, he was not going to come out of the closet. He spoke of a training session he attended for DADT and some of the hypothetical questions that arose during the Q&A session after the presentation.
One question from a soldier stood out to me…
First I thought the sexes were separated because of respect and privacy not just because of assumed sexual attractions. But second this comment reminded me of some of the comments I have heard concerning black women calling a man gay because the man in question does not want to converse or entertain the woman romantically or sexually. God forbid the man is actually straight and just not attracted to her messy ignorant ass.
So back to the heterosexual men…Hey straight dudes…the same way every woman is not attracted to you, everyone homosexual man will not be automatically attracted to you. The repeal of DADT does not mean it is now open season for homosexual men in the showers like it’s a YMCA from the 70’s, give me a break. I think there is a strange logical disconnect when it comes to heterosexual men as it pertains to homosexuality. Some heterosexual men must think every gay dude wants them simple because they are male. Nothing could be further from the truth. Please also note thinking someone is attractive and being attracted to someone are two separate things. So please DON’T FLATTER YOURSELF!
Homosexuality has always existed everywhere through out history and the world and equally there has always been homosexuality in the military. Being in the military is still a job and for some a career. Just because “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been repealed and homosexuals / bisexuals can now serve openly in the military, this does not mean they will all-of-a-sudden begin to conduct themselves unprofessionally and disgrace themselves and the military.
To me the real meaning behind of the repeal of DADT is that no one can now be legally forced to leave the military because of their sexuality. Any open or outed homosexual / bisexual person will still have the strong possibility of facing the same bigotry, discrimination, and ignorance that was there before. Even though many may come out of the closet, you still will have many like the anonymous soldier from the article who will choose to remain in the closet.
Many LGBT persons conduct themselves professionally in their everyday lives and careers. For me there is no doubt that homosexual and bisexual soldiers will perform to the professional standards of their respective military branches and serve our country proud.
– Octavius
I was in the Navy for 20 years, under “Don’t Ask…Don’t Tell”. I lived my younger years as a straight man, and was married for almost 5 yrs. After I divorced, I realized my feelings for men was no “phase”, but since I was in the military, I would not “sneak around” to discover what it was like to be with a man. So, I completed my active service, then came out. I was 37 yrs old then. I envy those in the military now, who have the option to stay closeted or come out. Hope they have the chance to live their lives more open and honestly than I did.