With the Pentagon still studying whether America, supposedly the planet’s greatest nation, can handle the stress headache of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and the Senate refusing to enable even the most compromised scenarios of a repeal, many smart homosexuals think the chances of getting gays serve openly just plummeted. But have no fear: America is seeking advice on repealing DADT from one of our greatest allies: the British! What keen wisdom might they have to offer?
For one, just get it over with. In 2000 under then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, the British legislatively repealed its version of DADT. Some seven years later, gay soldiers had yet to upend the country’s national security. Is that what personnel there are telling Americans?
But while deliberation in American political circles continues, the British Army’s diversity unit confirmed it had been advising its military counterparts across the Atlantic on integrating such an equality policy and sharing the successes of the repeal in the UK. Colonel Mark Abraham told PM that fears surrounding the removal of the exclusion policy had been unfounded, and the overnight lifting of the ban in January 2000 had resulted in “no notable change at all”.
“We got to the point where the policy was incompatible with military service and there was a lack of logic and evidence to support it,” explained Abraham, head of employment, equality and diversity for the British Army. We knew a lot of gay and lesbian people were serving quite successfully, and it was clear that sexual orientation wasn’t an indication of how good a soldier or officer you could be.” He continued: “The reality was that those serving in the army were the same people the day after we lifted the ban, so there was no notable change at all. Everybody carried on with their duties and had the same working relationships as they previously had while the ban was in place.”
Of course critics will point out that the British have a different way of doing things. For instance, they found the sitcom Coupling amusing.
[pictured: Gay British soldiers Ben Rakestrow, now 22, who was profiled last year to share his “remarkable” story that his comrades did not harass, demean, nor rape him.]
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PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Gee, how very not suprising! Openly Gay soldiers make no absolutley difference in the cohesivness nor efficiency of the units in which they serve……..
Pretty much the exact same results as when Black soldiers and women soldiers were allowed to serve in the same units as the rest of the military. After decades of howls of protest on how their intergration into the units would destroy the the military….
‘Cept there is one huge difference regardin Gay soldiers……. (are ya paying attention frightwing lunatics???) Unlike Black and women soldiers, there currently are and have been since day one Gay soldiers serving in every unit within the military…….
John (CA)
It was more orderly than the absolute mess we Americans find ourselves in, though I wouldn’t characterize it as a walk in the park.
Lawsuits against the ban started in the early 1990s. Because British judges do not have the authority to overturn an Act of Parliament, however, it was a losing battle from the start. Though several of the judges did warn the Conservative government of John Major that, if Britain were to ever incorporate continental law into domestic legislation, the ban would probably be struck down by a European court. They suggested that the government repeal the policy itself before that happens. Of course, the Conservatives – being conservative – totally ignored that advice.
When Major was tossed out of Number 10 and Blair’s “New Labour” came into office in 1997, repealing the ban wasn’t really an immediate priority. But harmonizing British law with European Union law was. The government passed the Human Rights Act – which required Britain to accept European human rights standards – the following year. This allowed discharged gay soldiers to resume their legal battle in ernest.
Ultimately, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of the soldiers. And to his credit, Blair halted pending discharges the day the court ruling was announced (Sept. 27, 1999). He didn’t wait for some stupid deal to materialize in the House of Lords. He didn’t appeal it to a higher body. He didn’t ask the military whether they liked it or not.
He just did it.
During the moratorium, the Blair cabinet drafted legislation – including new rules of conduct, reenlistment for those previously sacked, and an anti-discrimination policy – to ensure that the transition to open service would be orderly. The bill was presented to parliament at the beginning of 2000 and passed a few months later.
McMike
1st off, the UK Coupling series was AWESOME!!! It was the American version that sucked… I’m sorry but the original show was f’n funny especially Jane.
And, since when does logic and evidence play a role in how Americans justify their bigotry towards gay people? Gee, you mean if we actually lifted the ban it’d be the same exact military, albeit a very less hate-filled and bigoted one, that it was when the ban was in place? Here I could have sworn the military was going to turn into one huge gay orgy where the main mission of the military is to invade preschool to recruit children into the now-homosexual military lifestyle.
Gew
Yes, the American military is SO fragile.
They DO realize that countries that allow for gays and lesbians to serve are laughing at them yes?
Gew
Yes, the American military is SO damn fragile.
They DO realize that countries that allow gays and lesbians to serve openly are laughing at them yes?
robert in nyc
No. 3, McMike, I agree, it was totally awesome, very clever and very funny. The American version was dull comparatively.
To digress, the Liberal Democratic party in the UK, now part of the coalition government of conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has endorsed marriage equality as official party policy. The newly elected leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband has declared support for it along with his brother David, the former foreign secretary in the Gordon Brown government. A vote to endorse it as Labour Party policy is expected to pass. So there will be two of the three major parties supporting it. 61% of the British public polled support it. Truly amazing. Now if only the Democrats in our own country would have the guts and character to do the same.
Charlie Jackpot
I’ll think you’ll find the original series of coupling is some of he smartest comedy in ages – it was the network interfered US version that sucked balls
Now gay soldiers? Who cares they are all killers at the end of the day
Cam
The problem with this is, the lie that Congressmen tell, that it’s about how the military will handle this, it’s about logistics etc.. is B.S. It is only about Bigotry. The fact that the Isreali military is in a constant state of either action or readiness and THEY have allowed openly gay soldiers would seem to prove that a military will not collapse if gay soldiers are let in.
So they have the proof, the only reason they still want to keep the policy is because they are bigots, and we need to stop allowing them to use any other wording to describe it.
Steve
Meanwhile, British gay service members march in Pride parades (the Navy in uniform), marry on bases, live together in military housing and are on the cover of military magazines.
conor
Coupling is one of the funniest shows ever!
“I’ve got too many legs!”
B-RAD
HONESTLY THESE RACIST ASS AND JUST DOWN RIGHT CREEPY AMERICAN HOMOSEXUALS AND LESBIAN JUST DO NOT DESERVE THAT RIGHT
1. THEY KNOW THEY ARE HOMOSEXUAL AND LESBIAN BEFORE THEY JOIN AL THIS TOM FOOLERY ABOUT OH I DID NOT KNOW AND THE OTHER IS BULLSHIT THEY KNOW AT AN EARLY AGE SO SAVE IT. MY NEPHEW KNEW HE WAS HOMOSEXUAL WHEN HE WAS 5 YEARS OF AGE HE’S MASUCALINE AND HE WAS KISSING THE BOYS LIKE GIRLS. AND NOW THESE HOMO’S AND LIZZIES WANNA JOIN AND PRETEND OH LIKE FAIRY DUST THEIR GAY AND JUST FOUND OUT NO THAT’S NOT THE CASE YOU WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU HOW ABOUT YOU HOMO’S AND LIZZIES TRY BEING HONEST FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE. NO THEY NEED TO BE HONEST WITH THEMSELVES AND THAT IS WHY THE GOVERNMENT CAN NEVER TRUST THESE FAGGOTS AND DIKES.
2. THE CASUALTIES AND YES I TYPED CASUALTIES WILL BE FAR GREATER THAN ANYONE WILL ADMIT EVEN THE PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY NOW WHO CLAIM TO BE OKAY WITH IT WILL HAVE EXTREME CONFRONTATIONS.
LEAVE DON’T ASK DON’T TELL HOW IT IS THEY IDEA IS TO SERVE THIS COUNTRY NOT YOURSELVES THAT IS THE POINT OF THIS WHOLE THING AND IF YOU ARE AT ODDS WITH THAT THEN DO NOT JOIN…
tallskin2
@B-RAD — have you been overdosing on the pixie dust again, honey?
robert in nyc
No. 12….B-RAD is a closet case! How else would he or she find this blogsite, let alone know about it? When they protest too much as this demented idiot does, you know what they’re about!
B-RAD
LIKE ALL HOMOSEXUALS YOU LIKE TO USE THE DISTRACT AND CONFUSE SO AGAIN I FIND MYSELF ASKING YOU TO GET BACK ON TOPIC WHICH IS NOT ME. HAD YOU ANY INTELLIGENCE YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO REFUTE MY OBVIOUSLY CORRECT STATEMENT. HOWEVER, YOU CANNOT WHICH LEADS YOU TO MOCKING ME AND USING SILLY SASSY LITTLE WORDS WHICH SHOWS YOUR SCOPE OF THINGS. THIS REMINDS ME WHEN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HAD THE PRESIDENT OF OF IRAN AND ALL THEY COULD ASK WAS STUPID ASS HOMO QUESTIONS http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297823,00.html INSTEAD OF THE HARD HITTING QUESTIONS THAT MEAN SOMETHING. YOU HOMOSEXUALS ARE VIEWED AS NAZIS AND TRULY YOU ARE, IN A COMMUNITY WHERE YOU PROMOTE TOLERANCE AND UNITY ON YOUR GAY CHAT SITES YOU TYPE NIGGER AND CHINKS AND ON MAIN STREAM T.V. YOU WANNA CRY ABOUT HATE THAT MAKES YOU ALL A DAMN OXYMORON. YOUR HOMOSEXUAL AND LESBIAN BUT YOU HATE AFRICAN AMERICAN, ASIAN, MEXICAN HOMOSEXUALS BUT YOU WANNA USE THEM FOR SEX. THAT IS ONE YOUR A HOMO WHO HATES OTHER HOMOSEXUALS WHICH IS YOU BASICALLY HATING YOURSELF AND ON TOP OF THAT YOUR RACISTS AND PREDATORS. THERE SHOULD BE A SHOW LIKE HOW TO CATCH A PREDATOR BUT CALL IT HOW TO CATCH A HOMOSEXUAL PREDATOR AND BASICALLY (YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU AND WHEN I TYPE YOU I AM REFERRING TO CAUCASIANS) YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE THE FIRST TO COME OUT AND DO ANYTHING ABOUT SO YOU DEMEAN OTHER ETHNICITIES AND TREAT THEM LIKE SHIT AND THESE ARE THE YOUNG HOMOSEXUALS AND LESBIANS THAT YOU SHOULD BE SOME TYPE OF MODEL FOR NOT SEXUAL PREDATORS JUST PUT FOR ANOTHER HUMP. YOU TREAT HOMOSEXUALS AND LESBIANS LIKE THAT AMERICA IS LOOKING AT HOW WILL YOU DO HETEROSEXUALS, AFRICAN AMERICANS, SOCCER MOMS, WORKING DADS SO NO YOU DO NOT DESERVE IT YOU HAVE NOT EARNED IT.
Soupy
I bet that you have pretty braids and a nice clean pinafore.
robert in nyc
B-RAD….come out of the closet, its so obvious that you hate yourself so much. You’ll be a lot happier if you accept who you are. Channel your anger and bitterness into something positive by admitting you’re gay. You’re ranting too much for us to believe that you’re straight. The GOP is holding you back, snap out of it, get out of their deep dark closet!
tallskin2
@B-rad, we might take you seriously should three unlikely things happen.
1) Your IQ climbs above 10,
2) Your monkey paws manage to turn off the caps lock
3) You learn to construct an argument that makes sense
4) And you learn how to spell. eg Your is not You’re
tallskin2
@B-rad, we might take you seriously should several unlikely things happen.
1) Your IQ climbs above 10,
2) Your monkey paws manage to turn off the caps lock
3) You learn to construct an argument that makes sense
4) And you learn how to spell. eg Your is not You’re
B-RAD
AGAIN THE HOMOSEXUALS CANNOT REFUTE WHAT I HAVE TYPED SO THEY GET OFF TOPIC ON BULLSHIT GRAMMATICAL ERRORS I THINK THAT IS WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES THE HOMOSEXUALS AND THE LESBIANS LOVE TEACHING BUT DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT IN ORDER TO GET ANYTHING ACCOMPLISHED YOU MUST STAY ON TOPIC THE FACT THAT WE ARE COMMUNICATING IS GREAT ALL BY ITSELF I COULD USE CRAYONS AND IT WOULD STILL BE COMMUNICATING YOUR SASSY ASS HOMOSEXUAL COMEBACKS PACK ABOUT AS MUCH PUNCH AS YOUR WANTING TO SERVE OPENLY IN THE MILITARY AND I AM HAPPY THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN