Doesn't anyone comment anymore here?

To: "annarondac"... I do, occasionally, when it's something I wish to comment on. I noticed when the Gazette started charging for access to their online articles that there was a decided decrease in the number of people leaving comments... maybe they felt the cost wasn't worth it...

My comment on this particular "poll" question is to ask... why not? They're employed in every other type of business, why not the military??

I think it's very sad that the people in charge of our military - which is supposed to be dedicated to defending the rights of all American citizens - are so gung-ho about suppressing the rights of a relatively large percentage of those very citizens. Being gay does not make one less of a citizen, nor does it make them different in any way that would affect their service in the military.

What is truly interesting is that of all the people I have asked who are either currently serving in a military branch, or who have served in the past, not one of them has or would have had a problem serving alongside an openly gay soldier. It seems this is a bigotry found primarily in the top brass, which only goes to show that the top brass are not necessarily the best people to be looking out for our rights.

Is it bigotry or misunderstanding? A mentor of mine once said "if you need to conquer a prejudice, put a face on it." Perhaps the coming out of gays in the military would dispel any fears the top brass might have, especially if they have had no contact with that community.

@ annarondac: Bigotry is, for the most part, brought on by a combination of fear and misunderstanding. They aren't mutually exclusive. It shouldn't matter whether they have any contact with the "gay community." The fact is, saying "the gay community" and "the straight community" only further promotes this bigotry. We are the American community. White, black, man, woman, gay, straight, young, old, Christian, Muslim, etc...anyone who lives as a citizen in America is guaranteed, under the Constitution, to be equal. If our top brass are having trouble with "misunderstanding" this simple concept, it's time for them to step down.