In Theory: The Pentagon takes an inclusive stance

Protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation will now be part of the Defense Department’s equal-opportunity policy, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced Tuesday, June 9.

The Pentagon updated the department’s military equal-opportunity policy “to include sexual orientation, ensuring that the department, like the rest of the federal government, treats sexual-orientation-based discrimination the same way it treats discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, age and national origin,” Carter said at the Pentagon LGBT Pride Month ceremony.

Although Carter did not directly mention the other big topic of the event — transgender service members — as BuzzFeed reporter Chris Geidner notes, he did say it was “critical” to “start from a position of inclusivity, not exclusivity.”

Carter also said the Pentagon is working toward recognizing and extending benefits for same-sex spouses of service members.

“Discrimination, of any kind, has no place in [the] Armed Forces,” Carter said.

Q. What do you think about Carter’s announcement? What impact do you think it will have on the armed forces?

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In my opinion, I think Defense Secretary Carter is right and moral in his decision. Now will that have any effect on the military? That’s a different question! Remember how when women were supposedly to be treated as equals by the military? And then do you remember all the alleged cases of sexual harassment and assaults on women by men in the military? (You should, because it hasn’t been that long ago!) The military services still have a lot of the “good ol’ boy” mentality in them, and some of those “good ol’ boys” are high-ranking officers, and they don’t like females or gays invading their once macho-men-only ranks. So some of them will not enforce what the secretary of defense says, or at least they’ll drag their feet and be slow to implement the new policy.

So thank you, Defense Secretary Carter, for keeping up with the times and making correct pronouncements. But whether those who report to you will enforce the new regulations is altogether a different question.

By the way, if those who report to you are lax in their enforcement of the new procedures, please throw the book at them and threaten their pensions! That’ll get their attention!

The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada Flintridge

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It is sad that this is even an issue. The fact that we have to make policy stating we will not discriminate is an extremely upsetting statement about humankind and the kindness of humans. Unfortunately, bigotry, ignorance and fear do exist and so these policies are necessary. I am glad the military is coming around to being inclusive and tolerant. It’s better late than never, I suppose.

As far as transgender service members, from what I’ve read, the military still has a ways to go in creating true gender equality in general, so this may be a tough road. However, once again, discrimination is not an option. Our military, our country and our world must acknowledge, accept and respect the entire LGBTQ community as we would everyone else.

On a personal level, it seems the armed services also have a long way to go making freethinkers feel part of the team.

If I’m not mistaken, military training works by breaking a person down and then building them up again as a soldier. Instead of worrying about what prejudices soldiers have and catering to those prejudices, can’t they just include true tolerance as part of the rebuilding process?

Joshua Lewis Berg
Humanist Celebrant
Glendale

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I am glad the military establishment has finally see the light of equality of all people in terms of military activity and not sexual inclination. A soldier, sailor, member of the Air Force or Marine who carries out their duty should not be judged by their physical desires other than how to physically defeat the enemy. What the military now needs to do is to teach restraint versus nonrestraint in achieving that goal. Whether heterosexual or homosexual, all those involved in the military need to recognize that there are boundaries to behavior when it involves the sanctity of human life, with no differentiation between those we protect and those we have to attack. We can never sit by and ignore the blood of our neighbors (Lev. 19), even if that “neighbor” has come to attack us. To the sanctity of all human life, no matter how that human chooses to live it.

Rabbi Mark Sobel
Temple Beth Emet
Burbank

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I think that discrimination against gays in the military was effectively banned with the elimination of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 2011. Carter’s recent announcement may be about cleaning up outdated policy language. Gearing up to extend benefits for same-sex spouses in the military means that the Pentagon wisely anticipated the June 26Supreme Court decision extending the right to marry to adults in all the states.

Despite some downsizing, the United States armed forces remain a huge employer and as such they must operate in the real world. In a rising economy with lower unemployment, the Department of Defense needs to compete with other organizations and businesses to recruit and retain quality staff. They can’t afford to ignore or alienate the homosexual community, which some estimate to be about 1 in 10 of the U.S. population.

Gay people have served in the military all along, despite bans and discrimination. A more inclusive military will make life easier for everyone. Like attitudes toward gay marriage, I think this is a case of officialdom catching up with the majority of us who are already there in acceptance.

Transgender persons will be another challenge, and of course ending the military’s abysmal record of turning a blind eye to rape and sexual harassment of men and women.

Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose