Gays in the military will 'create an unacceptable risk to standards of morale and unit cohesion'

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I know I'm supposed to get all pissed off about statements like that, from a pedophile-faced Oklahoma senator in the New York Times. But he's probably right: Integrating the military will affect morale and unit cohesion. People in the military tend to be socially conservative, and this is a change that undeniably will make them uncomfortable.

But that doesn't make it a valid reason for keeping 'don't ask don't tell' in place.

Look at the logic. Gay advocates say 'the military ban on homosexuals represents a denial of rights to a recognized minority group'. Right-wing legislators respond with 'but letting gays fight in the military is hard.'

This is like telling your Senator that your brother has been imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, and the Senator responds with 'Well there aren't any buses that go to the prison to take him home, so he'll just have to stay.'

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I have no doubt that racially integrating the military in 1948 negatively affected morale and unit cohesion. The military was socially conservative in the 1940s, too. That shit was hard. But it was the right thing to do, so America sacked up, dealt with the consequences and waited for the new normal.

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Unless someone comes up with a good reason why gays aren't a legitimate minority, or that they're not worthy of equal treatment (prevalence of 'Ugly Betty' fan club membership, for example), lowered morale just doesn't cut it.