Where in the World Can You Find Some Gay Soldiers?

by Michael Jones · 2010-02-04 11:18:00 UTC
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SoldiersForget Carmen Sandiego. It's time to find out where in the world you can find some openly lesbian, gay and bisexual soldiers.

And the truth is, you can find them in a lot more places than you might think. While the United States hems and haws over whether to repeal our ban on openly gay soldiers -- "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- close to 30 countries around the world have welcomed openly gay, lesbian and bisexual soldiers into their ranks. Some for decades.

Nearly all members of NATO allow openly gay soldiers to serve. South Africa does, too. And count Brazil and the Philippines among nations that also allow lesbian, gay or bisexual troops. Kind of makes one wonder why the U.S. hasn't gotten on board.

C.M. Sennott writes for Global Post today that in all of these countries, studies consistently show that integrating openly gay, lesbian and bisexual troops into the military has absolutely no negative consequences on things like unit cohesion or troop morale. Far from it, actually.

"According to military analysts and experts who have studied the issue in Israel, the U.K. and elsewhere, the policy has had little impact on the effectiveness of the military," writes Sennott.

That certainly gels well with what Admiral Mike Mullen said this week before the U.S. Senate. Adm. Mullen, in a personal capacity, said that it compromises our military's integrity to force people to lie about their sexual orientation. And nobody should be in the business of compromising our military's integrity.

Politicians like Sen. John McCain, Sen. Jeff Sessions, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, and Sen. Mike Crapo (talk about an unfortunate last name!) are trying to slow down a repeal. And they're blaming their opposition on a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on the fact that they believe senior military officials like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Perhaps these four Senators (and the many others like them) might want to go back and watch Adm. Mullen's testimony before the Senate. Because senior military leaders ARE speaking, and they're speaking very loudly that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" should go. There's Defense Secretary Robert Gates. There's Gen. Colin Powell. There's Gen. John Shalikashvili. And of course, Adm. Mullen. How many more senior military leaders need to come out and call for a repeal before these GOP stalwarts listen?

Meanwhile, 30 militaries around the world are proving that this issue can be handled with tact, and without any disruption whatsoever. It's time for the U.S. to join their company.

Photo credit: US Air Force

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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