09 February 2011

DADT, marriage, and choice

My Republican neighbor is up in arms over the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). He is convinced that now all the gays will be scrambling to join the military so they can shower with the soldiers and convert them all to "the gay lifestyle".

He needn't worry. None of my gay friends have any intention of signing up. And the gays and lesbians who do sign up will likely do nothing differently than they did when DADT was in place. Except now they'll be able to share photos of their partners -- if they want to -- without risking dismissal.

The key thing is that they now have a choice.

No more double standard.

It's the same thing with same-sex marriage. In states where it is legal, we haven't seen the end of civilization (or the end of straight marriages) that the far-right scaremongers predicted. We just see some same-sex couples enjoying marriage equality and the social benefits that the institution brings.

And we see some same-sex couple choosing not to marry, just as many straight couples opt out of the M-word.

Again, it is a choice.

And it is only fair that everyone have that option.

No more double standard.

No comments:

Post a Comment