'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turns 15- Article

In this article, it talks about how its been 15 years since the "Dont ask, Dont tell" policy was written and it talks about the facts of how the "Dont ask, Dont tell policy was created which I find intersting. In the article it talks about Clintons ideals and why he thought of this law. In the article it says,"It was 15 years ago, Tuesday, that President Clinton rolled out the policy that came to be known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which relaxed the long-standing bar against gay men and women serving in the U.S. military. While the move was initially hailed as progress for the rights of gays in the military". This shows that Clintons ideas were to create freedom for gays and lesbians in the military. But, the fact is that, people have to hide their identity because of this and have to lie about who they really are which could be frusturating in many ways. Some things that the article said that were factual and historical about the "Dont ask, Dont tell" policy is that about 12,000 service members have been booted from the military since the law took effect, including dozens of Arabic speakers whose skills are particularly prized by the military since the advent of the war on terror. While the number discharged for their sexuality has fallen from 1,273 in 2001 to 612 in 2006, Pentagon officials insist they are applying the law as fairly as ever. Gay-rights advocates disagree, suggesting the military — pressed for personnel amid an unpopular war — is willing to ignore sexual orientation when recruiting becomes more difficult. Last May, a CNN poll found that 79 percent of Americans feel that homosexuals should be allowed to serve in the military. This shows that times have changed and that America is just loosing soldiers based on this issue. This is frusturating because gays and lesbians should have the right to serve in the military. In the last sentense of the article it said,"The younger generation doesn't care one bit". This quote I believe is 100% true because there are more rights and its a different generation than the past and the law should finally be changed.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1707545,00.html

Military scaling back 'don't ask, don't tell' Article

This article talked about the "Dont ask, Dont tell" Policy and it talks about how Obama wants to change the law because its the fair and right thing to do. "This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are," Obama said. This shows that Obama believes that it is unjust and unfair for people who are bisexual, lesbian or gay should have the right to be in the military and if they love the country that they live in they should be able to support it by going into the military. I totally agree with what President Obama is saying because I think its the right thing to do. Also in this article, it talked about how it might take years for gay men and lesbians to be fully accepted into the military and that the planning effort will take up about a year. The issues that will be talked about are Among the issues to be addressed by the group: whether gay soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines will face any restrictions on exhibiting their sexual orientation on the job; whether the Pentagon will be obligated to provide for their domestic partners; and whether straight military personnel could be compelled to share quarters with gays. This is interesting and its going to be interesting to see what the final outcome is on all of these subjects. I think that America creates a bigger problem on themselves then they really have to. Also, it talks about how the pentagon is the one in charge in making the rules up for this. In the article it says,"Gay rights groups have also complained that the Pentagon is moving too slowly to ease enforcement of the third-party dismissals, noting that Gates asked the Defense Department lawyers for advice last summer but has not acted since then". This could show that it might take years for gays to actually be allowed into the military and that people arent really taking this situation and issue as serious as they need to be. An interesting fact tat it said in this article that interested me was when the article said," Figures released Monday show that 428 people were discharged from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines last year for violating the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The total is about one-third lower than in 2008, when 619 people were discharged". That is a lot of people that the military and army are loosing which is not good.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020103711.html

U.S. Government Reconsiders "Dont Ask Dont Tell" Policy for the Military- Agreeing View Point

This article talked about how Obama wants to change the law of "Dont ask, Dont tell" policy and they want to change this law because many people are loosing their job to serve in the army so in this article, the view point is on the side where they argree with changing the "Dont ask, dont tell" Policy. The author of the article says,"There is a school of thought which believes should the United States military allow its homosexual members to serve openly it will somehow deteriorate the long standing moral fibers of the organization. I have a hard time with this logic and I have had discussions with various service members regarding the moral codes of the United States military and they are so grossly outdated I don't know if anyone in this day and age can maintain them. You have a younger generation of soldiers trying to live up to codes set by men who existed in a totally different time, place and society". This quote shows that he thinks that the times have changed from the past and there is a younger generation and that the government cant base their opinion on the old generation. I agree with this because its the fair and right thing to do and it is a new generation and many things have changed for the better in the new generation and this also could be a very good thing if it is changed. He also says," I find it ironic that the moral fibers could be eroded in a organization which has been trying currently to curb the pregnancy of its soldiers while deployed. Is there a double standard, where relations between a man and a woman, even if they are married to other people are somehow more valid than those of a same sex couple? I think the people who are fighting the updating of these antiquated policies really need a kick in the pants". This shows that he is agaist the idea of the "Dont Ask, Dont tell" policy because it is unfair and just old fashion. I totally agree with this because its exactly what I believe. He also talks about people should be able to love who ever they want and it shouldnt restrict them from wanting to be part of the army. He says," It wont bankrupt an organization to give people the freedom to love who they wish to love". I agree with this because thats perfectly said as to what i believe. Gays and Lesbians should have the freedom of being able to participate in the military and I think that it will not corrupt or bankrupt the systom. Overall I enjoyed this article because I agreed with the view point and I think that its the right thing to do with letting Gays and Lesbians participate in the military. Overall, if a new law comes to play, maybe in the beginning people will not want to stay in the army but overtime people will get over it.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2661585/us_government_reconsiders_dont_ask_pg2.html?cat=7

Future Of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Stirs Debate Within Military Circles- Oposing View Side

This article was adressing the issue of gays in the military and how the president wants to change the "Dont ask dont tell policy" and it talked about how this women named Ms. Elaine Donnelly(President, Center For Military Readiness)her view point on the issue. She thinks that changing the current policy would hurt the morale of the troops so, she strongly disagrees with changing the law. She says that if this law changes, soldiers will not re-enlist if the law is repealed. She also talks about how this is not a religious issue and she thinks that its very rational and not prejudce to have the "Dont ask, Dont tell policy. Ms. Donelly says, 'The weakest argument going, because of racial separation and prejudice was irrational and it still is. The military took it on head-on because it was irrational and we needed those good soldiers who are already in the military, they just had to attack the prejudice. However, separation of men and women in the military, in areas involving sexual privacy is not only rational, it is desirable and certainly customary in the civilian world as well as the military. The two cannot be equated. They are not the same". This shows that she believes that this is not a prejudgeing issue. I disagree with this because in my opinion, they are discriminating against something. Its not fair for Gays to hide their identity to try to help out this country. Also, Ms. Donnelly says that the "Dont ask dont tell policy keeps things in good order and disipline and i guess, that that makes sense to me as to why she would think that but I feel like she thinks that gays and lesbians are so wrong when really they are not. I feel like our society makes them feel so out of place and it makes me feel symathy for them. The article pretty much talked about how she totally disagreed with changing the law.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123332806

Short Story Analysis- Running by Ellen Howard

I read the short story from the book, Am I Blue? and the short story was called Running by Ellen Howard. This short story was about a girl named Terry. Terry is a teenager and has a sister named Heather. Heather is in college and her parents let to go to Europe. When Heather comes back, she asks her parents if she could bring a friend back with her because her friend is having problems at her house and she got kicked out of her house because of her parents. When the family is at the air port they realize that Heathers friend is a lesbian but, they still accept her into their home. Sheila, Heathers friend, is really sweet and her parents kicked her out of the house beacuse they found of she was a lesbian. This is really sad to hear about because the people that you thought cared the most about you and the people that you could always rely on, kicked you out of the place you live, because you were being honest and true to yourself. This story upset me to see how people, even a persons parents just abandonded their child because of something that he/she couldnt help. Terry starts to get to know Sheila and she really starts to like her because she is different and understands her. In the story, Terry gets upset about her best friend not comming to camp with her because she chose her boyfriend and Sheila was there to comfort her. In the end, I feel like Terry is also a Lesbian because she shows the signs that she doesnt like guys and likes girls. Something that I thought about a lot was the last sentence of the short story. Terry says," And then she shipped through the door, leaving me outside. But the door was open. If I had the courage, I could follow"(101). I think this quote shows that if Terry has the courage to be true to her self she could also follow in Sheilas footsteps.

Where I am so far...

So far, I think I have learned a lot of information on the history of gays and lesbians. I have learned about when the protests started and how it all began. I read about the history in the 1500's and how people were hung if they were gay. I read a lot of different things about the movements of gays. Definietly, the most interesting thing that i have read about so far was that no more than 3 homosexuals were allowed into a bar or a club. I also found it interesting when an article talked about how lesbians were more acceptable than gays in our society which I found sort of confusing. Something that I read that upset me was how people in modern time(now) in Jamaica are getting killed because of their sexuality. I find that wrong and disrespectful to them. It shows people that the world needs to start changing because what they are doing is unfair and unjust. Overall, I think I have a good sense of some of the history of Gays and Lesbians and I would like to keep researching more about my topic to see whats out there.

Gays Live--and Die--in Fear in Jamaica

I read an article about how the country of Jamaica is against Gays and when i was reading this article it upset me to see how unfair they were being to the gay people that live in Jamaica. One of the guys named Sherman that is gay and lives in Jamaica says, "It gets like five, six o'clock, my heart begins to race. I just need to go home, I start to get nervous,"Like many other gays, Sherman won't give his full name for fear of retribution.This is sad because people loose their identity and are afraid to tell people who they really are, based on the sexuality they are. If i was afraid to just walk outside because I was afriad to get abused or even murdered I would feel so low about myself and be devistated. This is probably how the Gay people in Jamaica feel which really upsets me. In the article, it also says that despite the easygoing image propagated by tourist boards, gays and their advocates agree that Jamaica is by far the most hostile island toward homosexuals in the already conservative Caribbean. They say gays, especially those in poor communities, suffer frequent abuse. But they have little recourse because of rampant anti-gay stigma and a sodomy law banning sex between men in Jamaica and 10 other former British colonies in the Caribbean.
In the same article it talks about how for gays, the reality of this enduring hostility is loneliness and fear, and sometimes even murder.Then it goes on to talk about another individual named Andrew, a 36-year-old volunteer for an AIDS education program, said he was driven from the island after his ex-lover was killed for being gay--which police said was just a robbery gone wrong. He moved to the U.K. for several years. Andrew says,"I'm living in fear on a day-to-day basis," he said softly during a recent interview in Kingston. "In the community where my ex-lover was killed, people will say to me when I'm passing on the street, they will make remarks like 'boom-boom-boom' or 'batty boy fi dead.' I don't feel free walking on the streets." These quotes had a big influence on me because I was shocked into what extreme measures people would go because they hated gay people.This article made me realize that something needs to be done, especially in countries like this. McFadden, David. "Gays Live--and Die--in Fear in Jamaica." Miami Herald (Miami, FL) 20 Jul 2009: n.p. SIRS Researcher. Web. 02 February 2010.

Dont ask, Dont tell Policy

The Dont ask, Dont tell Policy is very intersting in my opinion. I think that when Bill Clinton thought of this idea, he was trying to help out homosexuals on being in the army but overall, I dont think that this was a good plan. What the Dont ask, dont tell policy forbids homosexuals in the military from revealing their sexual orientation and others from asking about it. Although it established the right of gays and lesbians to serve in the military, it went away from their who they really were and had to hid something that shouldnt be needed to be hidden. Also the new policy forbade them to participate in overtly homosexual activities, to proselytize for the gay lifestyle, or to acknowledge their own sexual preference. This is not fair to gays,lesbians, and homosexuals because by not letting homosexuals into the army, the government and the people are discriminating against sexuality which is incorrect. This Dont ask, Dont tell Policy was thought of in 1993 so at least their is some progression in the United States with this idea. Its good that Bill Clinton thinks its okay for Homosexuals to be part of the army and military but he only thinks its okay if Homosexuals dont define who they really are which is a lack of idenity. This bothers me beacuse if I wanted to be a teacher and the government wouldnt allow me to be a teacher based on me being a women, I would think that, that was very unfair and i would protest agaisnt that. "don't ask, don't tell policy." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .

Barney Frank

I just read this article on Barney Frank and it talked about how he was the first openly homosexual congressman.Barney Frank had successfully addressed many issues during his terms in office but has also offended some gays and lesbians by taking a perceived moderate stance on the issue of homosexuals in the military. Barney Frank was very successful even though people knew that he was homosexual. When i read this article it made me happy to see that people for the most part did not judge Barney's character based on him sexuality.There were a couple rumors and the most serious callenge that Frank had was in 1989 when The Washington Times reported that he had hired a male prostitute, Steve Gobie, who he later retained as a household employee. The Times reported that Gobie had used Frank's apartment as a base from which to operate a prostitution business, a situation Frank claimed he knew nothing about. After nearly a year of investigation by a House ethics committee, Frank was officially reprimanded by a 408-18 vote of his colleagues. Efforts to impose more serious penalties failed. This is also good because it shows again how people saw Barney Frank as a person and did not base him off his sexuality. After this event happened, Frank Barney started to talk about Gay rights and started to get involved with this issue. After the vote, Frank began to speak out more openly and forcefully on gay and lesbian issues. In talking about his own homosexuality, he has said that he has "nothing to hide, nothing to advertise." He says little more about his personal life than that he "lives with Herb Moses," without defining that relationship in more detail. This shows that Frank tried to change things because he knew that discriminating against gays was not the right thing to do. This is exciting for me because it gives me hope that in the future gays and strait people will be complelty equal."Barney Frank." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .

Stonewall Riots

In this article it talked about how gays, lesbians, and bisexuals started to get rights in the constitution in 1969 from the stonewall riots and this was located in New York's Cities Greenwich Village. This event occured on June 27th, 1969. In the article it talks about how gays were working up their libertation. In 1965 it talks about how in New York no more than 3 bisexuals were allowed at a bar at a time. This shows that America is being unfair and unjust. This bothered me when i read it because I was ashamed as to see how Gays did not have the rights as to be in the same place at once. It really isnt right. But, it made me happy as to see that things have changed from that time and because of all the movements that gays and other people have done, they have gotten to a better fairness than the past. In the article it says," When they moved against the Stonewall Inn, they expected that homosexuals would simply take their arrests without complaint, as they had usually done in the past. This time, however, gays fought back rather than submit, and a melee resulted in injuries to four policemen." This is one of the first times where Gays went against what the policement were asking and they were actually taking action into what they believed in was right. That night the Stonewall in closed and the next day there were over 400 young men and women appeared. They hurled bottles at police and chanted, "gay power". After Stonewall,homosexuals formed the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and demanded an end to discrimination based on sexual preferences. They went against different companies that went against gays working for them.I find this very interesting and exciting that Gays stood up for themselves. Also because of the stonewall riots,in the following year of June 1970, members organized Gay Pride Week to commemorate the first anniversary of Stonewall. About 10,000 gays and lesbians marched in New York City to display the pride, assertion, and liberation already evident in their other endeavors, including magazines and newspapers committed to gay life. This is very intersting to me and it showed people in the united states that this was a problem and because 10,000 people marched it showed how many people were for Gay's and for Gay rights."Stonewall riots." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .

Gay Rights

The article that I read was very intersting and talked about how there was hate crime lesgislation on people who were Gay and Lesbian and people were killed because they were gay and lesbian. Before the 1960's gays and lesbians were not protected by the U.S. Constitution. In England,in 1533, Parliament passed the Buggery Act, which made homosexual intercourse a capital offense punishable by hanging. Also the article talks about how before the 20th century, if someone was gay or lesbian it was private and the public did not really know about this. In response to a visible gay culture, government authorities moved to clamp down on homosexual behavior. For the first time in America, moral reform societies identified homosexuality as a specific social problem to eradicate.In the article it says, "Though gay men were now open targets of law enforcement, it was not until the 1930s that concerted antigay campaigns began to flourish, most of which developed in reaction to the perceived lawlessness of the Prohibition era. Homosexuality became linked in the popular mind to a criminal underworld populated by prostitutes, child molesters, and murderers". This shows how America was not used to change and didnt see gays and lesbians as people, but as a stero type to a specific thing. When i read this it bothered me because someone should not be sterotyped based on their sexuality, or the color of their skin. Those things do not base off the character of a person. Also this article talks about the movement of events that took place in America it says, "Although the success of gays and lesbians in securing civil rights has increased markedly since the 1970s after activists began to challenge federal and state laws, aspects of homosexual behavior remained criminalized in many parts of the United States until the landmark decision in Lawrence v. Texas (2003), which ruled antisodomy laws unconstitutional". This shows how some people and states are just against this and the negative affects towards that. At the end of the article it talks about AIDS and its very interesting for me to read what it has to say about it. It says, " Part of the difficulty that gays and lesbians have faced in securing the legalization of same-sex relationships stems from the rise of the Christian Right and misinformation generated during the early phase of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, when gay men were thought to be the only carriers of the disease. AIDS generated a backlash among conservative Americans, who used the disease as an excuse to justify violence against homosexuals and their exclusion from civil rights and hate crime legislation. Colorado's Amendment 2 (1992), which was later declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in Romer v. Evans (1996), sought to deny sexual orientation as a possible basis for discrimination and thus protection under Colorado law"."gay rights." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .

First Thoughts on Gays and Lesbians

The topic that i will be reseaching is Gays and Lesbians. The reason as to why I am intersted in learning about Gays and Lesbians is because I want to know how it started and how it has progressed over time. I want to know more about this topic because it interests me and i want to learn the history behind it. I want to know how Gays and Lesbians felt when they were left out of things based on this aspect. A question I ask myself is, Are Lesbians and Gays discriminated majorly based on being Gay or Lesbian? These are some questions that I ask that I want to learn about. How it all started will be very intersting to learn. Also i want to research more about AIDS because I feel like Gays and Lesbians were always known to having AIDS so i want to see how those two ideas connect. Also, this topic intersts me personaly because I have a friend that is Gay and I want to learn more about the backround behind it. I think its very strong and powerful for people to stand for what they believe think is right and I want to learn about how the society reacts to this. I also want to know if states allow Gays and Lesbians to get married and, something interseting about Obama's speech yesturday talked about how he thinks its the fair and right thing to do by letting Gays serve in the army and military.