[W]e recruit a certain type of young American, pretty macho guy or gal, that is willing to go fight and perhaps die for their country. That’s about the only difference that I see between the other services. I mean, they recruit from a great strain of young Americans as well. They all come from the same areas and that type of thing. So I can only think that, as we look at our mission, how we are forced to live in close proximity aboard ship, in the field for long periods of time and that type of thing, that the average Marine out there, and by the way, my own surveys indicate that it’s not age-dependent, it’s not rank-dependent, it’s not where you’re from; it’s, as you highlight, pretty uniformly not endorsed as the ideal way ahead. But I just think all those things have impact on the Marines. And we’d just as soon not see it change. But again, we will follow the law, whatever the law prescribes.
—Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway, explaining the difference between marines and other personnel, and why it’ll be harder for his military branch to deal with a DADT repeal [via]
EARLIER:
Marine Chief Gen. James Conway: Straight + Gay Soldiers Living Together Must Be ‘Voluntary’
Kevin
He’s kind of right. The marines, more than the other services, have a culture of “manly men/strong women,” resistant to change, not well-educated, rough around the edges, not very thoughtful, etc. etc. This attitude might make it harder for them to implement the change, but to be honest I think in the long term their greater sense of camaraderie and dedication to mission over all else will mean that they’ll have fewer real problems with it.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
Uniform queen.
Finn
Macho gals, huh? So basically…lesbians? And he is against DADT? ok…
Mark Alexander
Several sources (including many who have served) have told me that Marines are the BEST bottoms in the universe.
El-Brucio
Conway seems completely oblivious to the fact that his “manly men” section of the armed forces has just as many gays and lesbians as any other part.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Am quite sure there are thousands of active Gay Marines right now who would love to have had the opportunity to kick the fcuking shit out of this bigoted nasty old relic when he was their age………….
BTW……Everytime this nasty cranky old relic spews open his mouth I get a chuckle…….I had a FB with the exact same name as this douche. (his nickname was “Meat” get the picture?) So I can laugh to myself “I fcuked JC quite hard, many times” :p
Steve
The Marines are macho? But if a gay serves with them, they’ll suddenly grow weak and cry and suck their thumbs like babies? Yeah, okay.
John
Agree with El Brucio. Conway is assuming that gay men and woman are not macho, and thus seems almost confused why this would even apply to the Marines. IE – You can let them in… but we wouldn’t recruit them.
reason
Conway is not saying that gays are less tough, he makes a valid point that in very macho cultures it is hard for them to come to terms with homosexuality. That premise has been researched and supported by experts. While it maybe harder for that particular branch of the armed forces to adjust at some point they will. No one ever said doing the right thing was easy but that doesn’t make it any less right. It is easy to steal when your hungry, or drop your kids off on the street corner when your broke, that doesn’t make it right. Conway has said some ugly things in the past but he is not wrong here.
McMike
The Marines are the biggest bunch of total bottoms around. I’m sorry but this “soldier” is way beyond queer himself.
McMike
@reason: @reason: @reason: You are so full of it it’s unreal. Would you mind showing us your “research” which proves your complete BS?
It’s amazing how many guys come into Topix to spout out such crap as if anyone is going to believe them.
I doubt most straight men will ever realize just how tough a man has to be to be out and proud in such a homophobic society.
hf2hvit
@Steve:
They don’t suck their thumbs-they suck cock!
missanthrope
If they can’t handle someone else’s sexuality. Then they aren’t all that macho. They sound like a bunch of delicate flowers…..shall we say pansies….to me.
Fitz
@missanthrope: And if they can’t just follow orders without having a process feeling group hug about it, then we are in really big trouble.
It would mean that we have a military that needs coaxing more than commanding.
FredB
I have known just as many gay marines, as gay army, navy and air force. Is this guy ignorant enough to think there are no gays in the marines? HA HA HA HA HA!
reason
@McMike: You clearly didn’t read my post, or you didn’t understand it. This has nothing to do with Gay men being macho, their is many gay men that I would not want to cross on an empty street corner. In some cultures were machismo is big homosexuality is something that infuriates them, it has nothing to do with the actual homosexual but the peoples perception of homosexuality as a weakness. Some of these people toughen up their sons but roughing them up not because they think there sons will be gay but because they think they might turn out weak. Conway is saying that a lot of marines hold that perception. Why do you think some people will choose to rob the gay man over the straight one, they think we are weak though they may be presently surprised. Because many hold that perception it will be harder for them to come to terms with having a homosexual in their so called “ultra tough” service. You would be surprised at some of the views that homophobes hold, some of them are just truly grossly misinformed, are to big of cowards to find out for themselves what that GBLT people are just normal people.
reason
Whatever the case Gen. Conway is on his way out and has been a real thorn in the presidents side when it comes to DADT. The guy that Obama is replacing him with is more open to gays serving openly, and will make a big difference to the troops if their commandant is not openly hostile to repeal.
HK
What he means is trigger friendly christian cave men who barely passed highschool, demonstrating a juvenile intelligence so unique it borders on retardation. Its no surprise that the army is largely stocked by the working classes. They have to be brainwashed into some patriotic bullshit, and told they are heroes, so they can fell good about themselves and their purpose in life as they are used of ass expendable chess pieces.
Dave
A hitchhiking Marine on his way back to base after a night in Waikiki was a sure thing, and half the time they’d make the first move, bless their hearts.
WalkderDC
Oh please, with other branches of the serice, you have to make sure somebody is gay before you hit on them. With the Marines, it’s just a given that most are gay.
Rick Brannon
Will gay Marines want to live with girly sailors?
This one wouldn’t mind.
RichardR
When is somebody gonna silence this old fart?
Jim D
Q. Why does every ship in the US Navy include a contingent of Marines?
A. Sheep would be too obvious!
Freddie
“When is somebody gonna silence this old fart?”
The Grim Reaper’s at his door. Soon, all these relics will be gone.
Lerro LeHezal
I am a former Sergeant and Non-Commissioned Officer in the U. S. Marine Corps. I could never understand what on earth a homosexual male would want to attempt to be a Marine for. The U. S. Marine Corps is about dstroying property and killing other human-beings. The Marine Corps was NEVER meant to be some kind of Social Club for people who suffer from a brain disorder to feel psychologically fit by politicizing their guilt problems with reasons for also wanting to kill others and destroy property.
Lerro LeHezal
@HK: If is acceptable for one to so loosely throw around the word “retardation” then why not just so loosely throw around the word, “faggot”? After all, it’s just politics that eradicates all freedom of speech issues.
Timothy
Lerro,
Yeah, I think you made it pretty clear exactly what psychological motivation drove you to join the marines.
Have those nasty feelings of inadequacy and lack or genuine manliness gone away yet? Maybe if you just yell hu-yah a few more times and destroy some property it will happen.
HK
@Lerro LeHezal: I was not using it loosely. I was using it to accurately describe the undeveloped brains of the trigger-happy(correction) juveniles.
G.A. Messier
I support repeal of DADT. In its place, the military should revert to the previous policy barring gays altogether.
No government has the right to compel heterosexuals to share living spaces (barracks or shipboard) with those who are genetically disposed (FIXATED) to see them as sex objects.
If the government can wield THAT kind of power over its citizens, what’s next?
Sidebar: Gay advocates cite polls indicating that Americans favor gays serving in the military.
REALITY CHECK:
a. Most people don’t care who serves in the military, so long as it’s somebody else’s family member.
b. Because they have no “skin in the game”, most people haven’t given this issue a moment’s thought, certainly not in terms of billeting.
c. Most people fear being labeled a bigot, and so offer up the PC answer. Got to show how “with it”, and progressive we are….
CHALLENGE: Ask parents what their reaction would be if their college-bound heterosexual son/daughter called home to announce that, in furtherance of some broad social policy, they were being forced to share their campus dormitory room with same-gender gays/lesbians. No options.
I guarantee you’ll come away with an entirely different poll result.
Some would argue THAT won’t happen. Colleges, after all, are not tasked with “national security.”
Witness yet another example (if GLBTs serve openly) of the federal government wielding unprecedented power over citizens, all in the interest of “national security”.
We are told now that homosexuality is genetic. Fine.
Just as it is unacceptable to billet men and women together, it is equally unacceptable to billet gays and straights together. Long-established, time-honored standards of decency and propriety prevail.
And please, PLEASE let us dispense with the dedication-to-flag-and-country spiel. No less a hero to their cause than Bill Clinton got serviced (yes- hetero) in the oval office. Likewise for members of Congress, both Dems & Reps.
The services turn down hundreds of thousands of applicants each and every year, for a whole host of reasons. In most cases, they’re unfit. Unlike most of them, gays/lesbians aren’t
“unfit”. They just DON’T fit.
Good order and discipline really does matter. Maybe not in the White House or Congress, but certainly in the military. Heterosexuals constitute 96-97% of the population, and that’s where the services’ end-strength comes from.
SPEAKING OF NUMBERS:
We’re told that some 14,000 gays/lesbians have been discharged since 1993. What that means is, they couldn’t (wouldn’t?) live up to their end of the agreement. No shame there – they’re as human as everyone else. And that’s the whole point. There is simply no way you can put gays/lesbians in quarters with their natural (read GENETICALLY IMPRINTED) sex objects, and not have trouble, anymore than we can billet heterosexual men and women together. Some services tried that, starting in boot camp. It failed.
Finally – body counts:
Since 2003, when we first went into Iraq, some 7,000 +/- Americans have lost their lives. This is a tragedy; it is NOT a national emergency.
During the exact same period (2003-present), more than 250,000 Americans have died in automobile accidents here in the US.
You may consider me a conscientious objector.
Read more: http://www.queerty.com/marine-chief-gen-james-conway-straight-gay-soldiers-living-together-must-be-voluntary-20100824/comment-page-1/#comment-358057#ixzz12d9uDuvT