Comparing Sacrifices - I'm posting this NYT article for a certain GOP staffer I know. It's a pretty typical piece (like this week's Advocate cover story) on how much harder it is on gay spouses when one goes off to war, because the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy forces them to suffer in secrecy. Despite being gay himself, my political friend takes a hard-hearted approach to the issue, essentially arguing that gay soldiers should know what they are getting into when they sign up. He buys into the brass's thinking that homos in uniform would shatter morale of our fighting men. When confronted with evidence that gays in the ranks haven't undermined the effectiveness of other armies (including tough ones like Britain and Israel), he just comments that different societies call for different solutions.

My friend and I have a running debate on this subject, and I don't feel like I can devote the time to a proper refutation now, but here's a quick retort. Take another look at our recent battles in Iraq, perhaps the first significant combat experience for women in the military. Despite our overwhelming victory, women lost their lives, and women were captured and held as POWs. Many of the same arguments against gays in the military were used against women, and in some cases the arguments went farther. Not only would women soldiers disrupt male esprit de corps, but the prospect of women dying in combat, or being taken prisoner, would also shatter our national confidence in the war effort.

I hardly think that has proven to be the case. Post 9/11 this is a country that recognizes and salutes anyone willing to make sacrifices in the defense of our way of life. Shared struggle is viewed as a worthy endeavor, even if it can mean paying the ultimate price. It's becoming downright un-American to assert that those who are capable and willing should not serve. Gay soldiers have always volunteered for duty, and given their lives for this country. In our present threat environment, it's entirely reasonable to expect their fellow straight soldiers to just suck it up when they feel unease at their barracks mates. After all, which is the more noble, more worthy sacrifice -- being willing to die for your country, or being willing to share a foxhole with a homo? Maybe the time will soon come when the straight men who join the military will be expected to "know what they're getting into" when they sign up to serve in a military that welcomes all volunteers.