Tony Perkins!!
{{wild applause}}
Mr. Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (the word "family" here - as in most cases - code for Conservative Christian political action group), took issue with President Obama's intent to repeal DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell), the code of silence regarding homosexuality in terms of military service.
This 1993 law doesn't prohibit gays from serving in the military - they just can't tell you that they're gay and have to keep an entire portion of their life secret to avoid being kicked out. In short, this fits right up most conservatives' alley - ignore it and it will not exist. It's not saying they can't serve (and fight and die for their country), it just says "don't tell me about it because it makes ME uncomfortable."
Which, if you break it down, is their problem with gay marriage as well.
"If they can do what we do, like act openly about their lives, and marry and fall in love and fight and die and God forbid be EQUAL to anything we do... that means we'll actually have to treat them as if they're *human*."
The horror... the horror...
So Mr. Perkins has decided to stand up for "Family Values" (which, btw, is such a bullshit term anyway - all the gay people I know came from families who had values). He has created a petition that angry, scared, straight people can sign to send in to their representatives that warn against "the sexualization of our armed forces".
The entire petition takes a couple of things for granted.
See, Mr. Perkins has this idea that if we allow gays to openly serve in the military (or, in his terms, actively recruit them) they're going to attack those unsuspecting Christians in their beds due to the overwhelming sexual desire that homosexuals can't seem to control.
'Cept of course that they can... and you know how we know this?
BECAUSE GAYS & LESBIANS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ALLOWED TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY.
Just because they don't get to broadcast it doesn't mean they're not already in there - right now - sleeping in the next bunk... showering in the next stall... shoulder to shoulder covering your bigoted ass while in the line of fire. And somehow they've managed to keep their libido in check like they do in civilian life.
Know why?
'Cuz they're people... just like the rest of us. I know that's hard to hear, but it's true. Just because their desires are different, doesn't mean they are uncontrollable. Homosexuality isn't what you do, anymore than heterosexuality is. It's who you are. Just like we can go through the day without pouncing on every straight person we run into, they can do the same.
Probably even more so, because the odds of someone being receptive to their advances are statistically lower just due to percentages of LGBT Americans... and of course if they hit on the wrong person they can actually get hit *back*.
Which, I dunno bout you, would be a very strong deterrent to curb certain behavior.
So all you people who freak out about gays attacking you in your sleep and converting you can relax.
First of all, sexual assault is not about sexual desire... it's about control and power. That's why it manifests itself in same sex situations that are violent, such as prison; it has nothing to do with finding another person attractive - it has everything to do with finding another person weaker, someone to dominate.
And that already happens in the military - mostly in opposite sex situations, that the good ol' boy network of our military has no problem sweeping under the rug as long as it's happening to women.
Per Congresswoman Jane Harman of California, "Military women are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq."
But a patriarchal society demands that we continue to cloud sexual assault with the issue of uncontrollable desire; that way they can continue to excuse the perpetrators (typically male) and blame the victim (typically female).
Funny how they only seem to worry about it when it means that another male could be victimized, no?
Second of all, even if it were a matter of sexual desire most the people who worry most about gay guys scoping them out in the shower usually don't even have sex appeal to the opposite sex... much less the same sex.
So guess what, Mr. Perkins? That means your entire argument is a big fat load of nothing.
Which is typical coming from "conservative Christian think tanks" that tout themselves as "Family Focused".
But way to stir up the homophobic fears of a nation when they need to worry about getting or keeping jobs, having reasonable health care and basically keeping their families in their own homes. Not only that but you further the myth the true underlying reason for sexual assault as sexual desire (which, as a rape survivor I can tell you is utter BS), which keeps more assailants actually on the streets where they can attack again.
Not bad for a day's work, huh?
With your particular brand of logic not only will gays and lesbians have to keep hiding for your comfort, but our military women will still have to fight tooth and nail to fight the victim blame game whenever their STRAIGHT brothers in arms can't seem to contain THEIR impulses.
So way to go, President Asshat.
Way to go.
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