“THE CHANGE WE NEED”

I recently read an article from the Washington Post about a homosexual man that was put
through hell while trying to serve our country. This man was abused daily by his companions
because of his sexual preference. As I continued to read the article, the abuse towards this man
became worse with every word. What these people did to this innocent man was disgusting.
What happened to this man and what happens to many others is WRONG and something needs
to be done about it. The brave men and women that are doing such awful things to others are
taking advantage of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy and violating people’s civil rights.
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy is a compromise created in 1993 between congress
and the then President of the United States, Bill Clinton. The policy states that “service personnel
may be discharged from the military for homosexual conduct but not simply for being gay.” The
framework for this policy was developed by Northern University Professor Charles Mosoks and
then carried out by Georgia Senator, Sam Nunn. Under this policy military commanders don’t
question a soldier’s sexual preference unless they are presented with “credible information.” This
simply means that unless military commanders are presented with reliable evidence of a person’s
homosexuality then they aren’t allowed to do anything to that person.
The man of the article "Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Didn't Protect Me from Abuse in the Navy"
is named Joseph Rocha and he is gay (1). When he was 18 he joined the Navy because he wanted
to help protect our home. When he joined he agreed to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy like
many other gay men and lesbian women. For twenty- eight months he worked with dogs trained
to detect explosives. Even though he loved his job he was miserable every single day that he was
in Bahrain because he was harassed by his colleagues. Finally after taking many months of
abuse, this brave man finally spoke out.
The way the policy is being implemented works differently than what it is supposed to
do. I believe this policy is being implemented because of bigotry. Bigotry is the attitude or state
of mind a person has towards another person or group based on their differences in race, religion,
and politics. That person is then intolerant or prejudice towards those who differ. As a Christian
child I was taught that homosexuality is a sin but as I grew up I questioned this belief. I just
didn’t understand how being gay changed a person’s intelligence or their ability to do something.
Being homosexual doesn’t make a person weak or stupid.
I don’t understand how the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy is so powerful that it changes
things it shouldn’t be able to change. For example it changes how people look at and treat
homosexuals. A gay person can do anything a heterosexual person can. The soldiers of the
military are trained to defend this nation in times of trouble. So, why is it that just because a
person is homosexual it is believed that that person can’t do what another heterosexual person
can? According to the Service Members Legal Defense Network “The younger generations,
those who fight America's 21st century wars, largely don't care about whether someone is gay or
not-and they do not link job performance with sexual orientation.” (4) I can agree because I have
a cousin that is lesbian but being lesbian has never changed how well she does her job.
I believe this policy originated from the fear of change. Many years later fear continues to
influence people. Fear makes people do stupid things daily. I believe that the people who want
this policy to be implemented are scared of change. They’re scared that if they allow the soldiers
to express their true sexual orientation that something will happen to the army that defends us or
probably that it will make other countries believe that this nation is weak. Nothing will change.
The heterosexual soldiers and homosexual soldiers are all there for the same reason; they are
there to protect their home. If other nations question our army well then let them. They are free
to think whatever they like. As long as we have faith in our soldiers that’s all we need.
Fear also lies within our army. Gays in the military live in fear but, unfortunately, they
are unable to do anything about it. They fear that if they speak out they will be discharged or
even worse, that they will be ignored and the harassment will continue at a higher degree.
Imagine yourself living everyday fearing what a man in your unit will force you to do or what he
will do to you. Rocha knows exactly how this felt.
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy creates a sense of false rights. As the man in the
article, Joseph Rocha, states, “homosexuals have no rights in the military. What the military does
is give a gay man and lesbian woman the chance to serve the country as long as they lie.” This
also creates fear. Imagine how it would feel like to live everyday full of fear. Fear of being fired
just because you prefer the company of a person of your same sex.
To me it seems that this policy destroys lives. Joseph Rocha was excited to serve his
country. He dreamed about joining the Navy and entering the Rhode Island Naval Prep-
Academy. Unfortunately, after revealing his secret to the military he was forced to quit the naval
academy and was discharged. This policy doesn’t only shatter just one person’s life; it can reach
out and destroy many lives in a moment. 27-year-old, Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia, a
friend of Joseph Rocha, tried to stop the harassment directed towards Joseph Rocha from getting
worse but failed. After reporting the incident of abuse, she was charged with failure to end the
chief’s tyranny. As a result she was ordered to remain in Bahrain. Afraid that she would never
return to her family she took her own life.
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy is abused by military personnel every day. This
policy is acted out because of bigot people who fear change and create even more fear for
homosexuals. Not only do homosexual men and women fear the people that abuse of them, they
are also unable to do anything towards stopping them because they have none of the rights
promised to them by the Constitution.
On January 28th of this year, President Obama addressed his State of Union to explain to
them that he wanted to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy.” He stood behind the podium
with his head held high and in a respectful voice he said to them “…we all are created equal. No
matter who you are or what you look like if you abide by the law you should be protected by it.
If you adhere to our common values you should be treated no differently than anybody else.”
The 14th amendment, which was added to the United States Constitution in 1968, states that “All
persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are
citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” This just means that any
person that is born or raised in the United States is a citizen of the United States with full rights.
The Constitution continues on to say “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall
abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive
any person of life, liberty… nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of
the laws.” This means that no one is allowed to take anyone’s rights away.
One of the men that is freely speaking in support of this policy is Arizona republican,
Senator John McCain. Back in October of 2006, Senator McCain stated that "The day that the
leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I
think we ought to consider seriously changing it,"(3) But when the repeal of the “Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell” Policy was suggested earlier this year by General David Patroens, Senator McCain
was disappointed that "At this moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should
not be seeking to overturn the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy."(3) In my opinion it seems that if you
say you’re going to do something that you shouldn’t go back on your word. I also believe that
this game that Senator John McCain is playing of “I am, I’m not” is getting pretty old. He should
stop contradicting President Obama and do what he once said he was going to help do.
Those who agree with the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy argue that after 15 years of it
being implemented that the repeal of the policy would destroy the unity of the army. The repeal
of the policy could possibly destroy some of the friendship soldiers have formed with each other
but only because they have been lied to for such a long time. Homosexual soldiers are basically
forced to lie while they are in service. I believe that if soldiers weren’t forced to lie to the men
and women in their unit they could possibly form an even stronger bond with them.
As humans we develop and grow. I believe it’s time to accept the gay community
without question and grow beyond an old fear of change. We need to change the world and this
is just the first step towards change. We need to turn this wrong into a right by repealing the
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy.
 Works Cited
1. Rocha, Joseph. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Didn't Protect Me from Abuse in the Navy".
Washington Post October 11, 2009 :

2. Hornick, Ure, Ed, Laurie. "Obama calls for 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal". CNN Politics.
April 21, 2010
<http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/28/obama.dadt.react/index.html>.

3. Shear, Michael D. "McCain appears to shift on 'don't ask, don't tell'". Washington Post
February 3, 2010 :

4. “About “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”". Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. April 21,
2010 <http://www.sldn.org>.