Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell.

I'm trying to remember what my first reaction was when Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT)was first instituted. I really can't remember actually. Looking back now though, I have to ask, what was the goal here? Why was this put into action anyway? How is this really protecting anyone? I don't think DADT accomplished what it was supposed to, except it made certain people feel persecuted, and an outsider to society. Considering how the country was founded, and the rights people have, how exactly did this rule get passed?

Every few decades there's a group of people fighting for acceptance in something. Women wanted equal rights. African-Americans wanted segregation ended. Now, gays and lesbians have to fight just to have the same rights as everyone else. Katherine Miller left West Point because she felt she had compromised her integrity and her identity by lying and acting like a straight woman. Really? This is what we, as society have come to? How many other students have decided not to attend West Point because of DADT? How many of them could have been the next greatest George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, or Alexander the Great? No one knows. Why? Because of a horrible policy that prohibits the right for people to be who they are. Does it really matter if the military has gays and lesbians in the military? They wanted to serve in the military. That doesn't mean that if they get shipped out to Afghanistan or somewhere else where there is conflict they are going to run away screaming. Just because someone is gay doesn't mean they don't take pride in their country, and don't want to fight to defend it. Wasn't the voting age dropped to 18 for a similar reason? The voting age was dropped to 18 with the logical thinking of if you can fight and die in a war at 18, you should be able to vote also. So we're going to ban someone from being a soldier because they're gay? Does this really matter? It shouldn't.

Being gay isn't something like an attack from a vampire, or a bite from a zombie. Just because you're in contact with them, doesn't mean your going to become one. DADT clearly enforces the thought that being gay is a disease, and ignoring it means it will go away, and no one else will be infected. That is such a barbaric thought. If that person next to me is under gunfire with me, and is willing to work with me to survive the battle, then does it matter if that person is gay? Does it mean that *GASP* I'm going to become gay because I fought with them? No. That's a completely irrational thought. So is DADT.

The reason there are still hate crimes against gays, African-Americans, Muslims, and others is because of a lack of tolerance and acceptance. Are we still teaching kids that it's OK to not like someone because they look or act differently from them? It's policies like DADT that reinforce this thought process. Who are we to judge what is right and what is wrong when it's not illegal? You can't change someone just because you don't like who they are, so why try? Accept them for who they are. No one says you have to like them, but you should accept them for who they are. Personalities clash, I get that. Just because someone is gay doesn't mean you should hate or dislike them immediately.

Is DADT really protecting anyone? What is DADT protecting? 'This man's army' is about as outdated as fighting against Communism. Everyone should have the right to be who they are, regardless of where they work. If someone is gay, and wants to serve in the military, they should not be told to stay quiet about who they are. In fact, someone coming out and saying they are gay shows a definite kind of mental toughness to do so. That's the kind of mental toughness soldiers should have, and are taught to have during basic training.