Ask me and I'll tell

     The September/October 2006 issue of Gay + Lesbian Review reports that three young recruits in Minneapolis attempted to join the National Guard, fully intending to indicate that they are gay.
     This is only part of a "Right to Serve" campaign being conducted in 30 cities across the U.S. from August through October by Soulforce, a gay rights' organization in Minneapolis. The action will include more than 1,000 young people, including organizers and several potential recruits who would enlist if allowed to do so as openly gay people.
    Said Haven Herrin, one of the prospective recruits, "The policy makes it clear that I will eventually be rejected because of my sexual orientation. There have already been arrests of patriotic kids who want to be active participants in defending their homeland.
    Anyway, these days, with the Army taking high school dropouts and some kids with criminal records, what harm would come from actually signing up a kid with good academic and athletic creds. There is also the possiblity that some enterprising recruiter, recognizing the foolhardiness of the policy, might just bite the bullet [so to speak] and sign some of these gay kids up anyway.
    Besides, what are they afraid of? Somebody getting distracted when they see some nekkid butt in camo while cleaning up their rifle with Hoppes # 9?     Consider for the moment. Is there anything the least bit off-putting by what you see here? I don't think so. If I saw this while rubbing the barrel of my rifle, there is nothing that would make me then think of someone else's short arm.
    The military's ridiculous restrictions now, is not all that different from my own experiences decades ago when there was still a draft. I went for a pre-induction physical, was questioned extensively by an old coot who called himself a psychiatrist. Although I had clearly "checked the box" [the parlance of the day] I was still repeatedly asked about what I would do if I were drafted anyway.
    Finally, I was asked, point blank "If you are recruited anyway, would you refrain from having sex for three years?" I snorted that that would be impossible. The wording was interesting. I was not being asked if I'd refrain from sex with men, but refrain from having sex altogether. Right. That was not a question anyone would normally ask a testoterone filled adolescent, gay oor straight.
    I didn't get accepted at the time.
    But the planners promoting the Right to Serve campaign see their current effort as one that may force the military [and the Pentagon, and Duyba and others] to relent and eventually drop the "don't Ask, dont Tell" policy that has been in force since the early days of the Clinton Administration.
    Discrimination is, after all, a set of actions born out of the overt practice of prejudices.
    And if the objection is not about sharing the showers and latrines, shouldn't the USA, like its counterparts in Europe, be enlisting gay boys and girls into the military anyway?
    What's next, enlist rich kids?