Gay Soldiers

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how, in 2001, the "New York Times Magazine" published an editorial by Andrew Sullivan entitled, "Who's Being Shut Out of All the World War II Glory?" In it, Sullivan asked why historians, both in Washington and Hollywood, have ignored the contributions of gay soldiers and links this to the current "don't ask, don't tell" policy that was resulting in an upsurge in sexuality-related discharges from the military. In comparison, it looks at David Horowitz's response article entitled, "Why Gays Shouldn't Serve."

From the Paper:

"This is very different from Horowitz' position. Horowitz actually acknowledges that there should be more recognition for former homosexual soldiers. He also says that allowing openly gay people in the army would be bad not because homosexuals deserve to be discriminated against, but for the very simple reason that if there were homosexuals in the army that would introduce a factor of sex and individuality. This would, he then suggests, culminate in unreliable soldiers who might make poor decisions to protect their lovers. He, oddly, backs this up by evidence regarding how few women report for duty and how many get pregnant. Homosexuality, he suggests, does not deserve discrimination, but gay people should not be allowed to serve in the military where they might sleep with each other."

More papers on Gay Soldiers:

• Argumentative Essay # 117724 : "The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy"
• Argumentative Essay # 135497 : "Gays in the Military"
• Essay # 41487 : "Gays in the Military"

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