Cause and Effect World

Gay - Military - Marriage

What do these three words have in common?  Well, on the same day that the legislature in Massachusetts is deciding whether to vote on whether the proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage will be on the ballot in 2008, a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, John M. Shalikashvili, says that in his opinion, the military is ready to accept gays (albeit slowly and deliberately).

Well, how ironic is that?  

The question in Massachusetts is whether the majority of voters can limit the rights of a minority.  The state Supreme Court previously found that the constitution does not prohibit gay marriage.  Since rights are assumed to be enjoyed by all adult citizens unless specifically limited by language in the Constitution, the logic went, gay marriage was a right since there was no language limiting it.

However, the Massachusetts constitution allows for citizen-initiated changes.  The criteria for this process have been met and today the Mass. Legislature must vote on whether an amendment that would change the constitution to ban gay marriage, i.e. limit certain rights for specific adult citizens, will be on the ballot in 2008.  Gay marriage outcome today uncertain, Boston Globe, January 2, 2007.

Meanwhile, the military is considering every possible means to increase its ranks, given the current needs in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Korea, and possible future adventures wherever the current administration sees a threat (Iran?  Syria?  Venezuela?). 

One option is to offer something very valuable to groups that have been, to date, excluded from the military.  If you agree to serve, i.e. put your life on the line, we’ll let you in. 

One of these groups is openly gay people.  And, it turns out, the military may be open to the idea. Shalikashvili says:

“Last year I held a number of meetings with gay soldiers and marines, including some with combat experience in Iraq, and an openly gay senior sailor who was serving effectively as a member of a nuclear submarine crew. These conversations showed me just how much the military has changed, and that gays and lesbians can be accepted by their peers.

This perception is supported by a new Zogby poll of more than 500 service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, three quarters of whom said they were comfortable interacting with gay people. And 24 foreign nations, including Israel, Britain and other allies in the fight against terrorism, let gays serve openly, with none reporting morale or recruitment problems.

I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces. Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job.”  Second Thoughts on Gays in the Military, New York Times, January 2, 2007.

So, go ahead and vote to let a majority of citizens vote on limiting the rights of a minority of citizens.  By 2008, the military will have an open policy, and enough of the same folks who are opposed to gay marriage will have sufficient grudging respect for gays in the military (who will undoubtedly serve heroically, in part because they have things to prove), and find it difficult to limit the rights of the very same people who put their lives on the line on our behalf.  The alternative is, of course, for opponents of gay marriage to put their lives on the line, and volunteer for the military. 

However, I hope that everyone realizes that if we can limit the rights of gay people, ‘we’ can limit the rights of any small group.  How about anyone who does not have a college education?  Should they be allowed to vote?  How about women with a college education?  Are they undermining the stability of the family?  Should they be allowed to vote?  How about marrying someone who is not a citizen?  Should we make that illegal?  How about people with dual-citizenship? 

Sound far-fetched?  Perhaps now when the economy is strong and the war is far away.  But, people get weird when they feel vulnerable, and you never know who will be the scapegoat.  It may be you….