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March 15, 2005
Letter to the Editor: Administration’s decision to continue allowing military recruiters merits explanation
Last week, Hamline University quietly voted to continue to allow military recruiters on campus, despite the fact that the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is in direct violation of Hamline’s cherished diversity policy. The powers-that-be probably had a very good reason for its decision, namely money. It was my understanding, however, that the university would receive a warning before any federal funds are withdrawn due to the Solomon Amendment.
The administration owes Hamline students a letter of explanation, printed in the Oracle, as to exactly why the university has decided to violate its own diversity policy in this instance. These types of decisions should not be hidden from the student body.
Liberal college students are not the only people protesting discrimination against homosexuals in the military. On March 2, a coalition of retired military generals and admirals, representing some of the highest-ranking military officials in the nation, testified before Congress in support of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
BG Foote, one of the first women to achieve the rank of Brigadier General, said, “As a commander, I know that lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans have served our country with honor and distinction. Our armed forces should be able to recruit every qualified, capable American to protect our homeland, regardless of their sexual orientation. ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ is not only unnecessary and discriminatory, it is also detrimental to our military readiness. The law does not meet the common sense rule our military should abide by.” Shamefully, the United States remains the only member of NATO, besides Turkey, that still discriminates against gays in its military.
In his letter to the Oracle last week, Manney Anderson was correct in pointing out that the military’s anti-gay policy prevents many people from serving our country, while the now dead-in-the-water proposal to ban military recruiters would prevent no one from serving if they chose to.
Why some students on this campus support the military’s discrimination policy instead of Hamline’s diversity policy is a clear-cut case of heterosexism. Would straight people put up with such treatment? I doubt it.
For those of you who believe “don’t ask, don’t tell” is nondiscriminatory because it does not actually prevent homosexuals from serving, consider what would happen if the military only admitted heterosexuals as long as they stayed “in the closet” about their sexuality.
You would be shocked at the number of lies you would have to tell on a day-to-day basis in order to maintain your completely fabricated faŹade. Don’t ask, don’t tell is not a simple matter of nondisclosure, because sexuality has never been a private matter confined to the bedroom. In fact, it is one the most publicly visible aspects of our existence. Closeted gays and lesbians know this because they must carefully study and mimic the public behavior of heterosexuals in order to maintain their secret. One only needs to watch any movie, TV show, attend any wedding or dance, or simply walk down the street to notice that heterosexuals constantly reveal their sexuality, albeit in a completely transparent way. Why shouldn’t homosexuals be allowed to do the same?
Disclosing one’s sexual orientation is a human right, a right that should be available even to those whose sexuality is a spectacle in the eyes of others.
Matthew Edwards
CLA Student
Posted by msveum at March 15, 2005 01:56 PM
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