COLLEGES ALL ACROSS the country, including the Universityof Virginia, proudly host a branch of the ROTC. In fact, the University's ROTC program ranks in the top 15 percent of all programs in the country, educating and training future leaders in the armed forces as well as in the civilian sector. As one of the most prestigious ROTC programs in the country at one of the best universities in the world, the University ROTC program should spearhead the fight for the freedom of their fellow countrymen to rush into battle shoulder-to-shoulder regardless of sexual orientation.
In 1993, after intense Congressional debate, President Bill Clinton persuaded Congress to pass the notorious "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.This law allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military as long as they do not proclaim their sexuality, engage in intimacy or attempt to marry someone of the same sex -- a gay person can serve in the military, as long as he or she does nothing to suggest he or she is in fact gay.
A few weeks ago, the "Call to Duty Tour" came to the University to talk about the need to repeal this bizarre and discriminatory legislation. Some of the former military officers who composed the panel no longer can serve their country, not because a fellow soldier outed them but because they could no longer hide their identities and outed themselves. Most had the courage to come out to some of their friends in the military while they served, citing that it was hard to hide such an integral part of their identities.
One of the main criticisms of allowing gay people to serve openly in the military is that it will disrupt "unit cohesion." Oddly enough, most of the people on the panel did not experience harassment or cause their unit to collapse. Instead, according to Patrick English, a guest on the panel and a former member of the U.S. Army, his honesty with his fellow servicemen allowed them to become closer friends, more than likely strengthening unit cohesion.
This sort of legislation implies that American soldiers are backward and insular and cannot handle the presence of homosexuality, even though recent Gallup polls show 79 percent of Americans do not have a problem with the idea of gay people serving in the military.
Here at the University, the ROTC does not allow gay students to openly serve, as consistent with the national policy. Lt. Col. Hampton Hite, of the University Army ROTC, agrees personally and professionally with this policy.He believes it is fundamentally necessary to have "good order and discipline in a unit," and the Army is not the place for "social experimentation."
One would think that ROTC cadets or University students would have voiced concern or protested this policy at some point, but Lt. Col. Hite claimed he had never heard a complaint or seen a protest in his five years here. This begs the question, are University students apathetic about this issue, do they agree with it or are those directly involved in the ROTC scared to disagree openly?
The Call to Duty Tour reports that at least 65,000 gay or bisexual Americans serve today in the United States Armed Forces. Certainly, the military is not disintegrating or disbanding because of the existence of gay people serving alongside straight people. At a time when the United States desperately needs more people to serve in Iraq, it seems illogical to turn away Americans with the skill and the desire to fight for a country that will not even claim them.
Because being open about sexual orientation is a personal decision, and one that would terminate a career in the military without question, it is probable that students at the University have not pursued joining the ROTC because of this policy. If an ROTC cadet had the courage to voice a disagreement with the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, certainly he would fear his peers or superiors suspecting him of being gay. Thus, the University student body must take up the arms of those who literally cannot express dissent for fear of losing their position in the military. This is the very definition of discrimination, undermining the integrity of an institution that represents the United States around the world.
Fighting for one's country is one of the most basic rights of a citizen. Before African-Americans even had the right to vote, they served in the military. Military philosophy encourages teamwork and group loyalty, and the diverse American army celebrates unity despite individual difference. Gay and lesbian people should be able to wear the American uniform openly and with pride, knowing that they serve a country that embraces individual freedom of expression on both sides of the battlefield.
Marta Cook is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.
Read More
GARVIE: U.Va. Health is rapidly falling behind on its responsibility to patients
By Adeline Garvie | YesterdayWhile gender-affirming care is one of the biggest ways U.Va. Health is falling short, it is not the only one.
Letters to the Editor: The resignation of University President Jim Ryan
2 days agoFollowing this resignation, The Cavalier Daily has received letters from the University community which provide various perspectives on what this moment means to them and to the University’s future.
A statement by 40 Jewish faculty and staff on antisemitism and DEI at U.Va.
By Jewish Faculty & Staff at U.Va. | 3 days agoAs scholars and teachers, we know that dissent and debate strengthen our intellectual commitments and moral judgments rather than threaten them. We reject any attempt to deny these basic truths.
