GAYS DEFEND MARRIAGE

In recent weeks supporters of an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” have pointed to the military magazines of England and Israel, which have featured openly gay soldiers on their covers. England’s official magazine Soldier featured a gay servicemen next to the word “Pride” on its front. Israel’s army magazine earlier this year showed two soldiers hugging on its cover.

The idea is supposed to be, “Look at these other countries, how easy the transition has been to including open gays in the military.”

I take a different message away from it: that once the military accepts open gays, the next step will be for it to celebrate them. We should be able to have fair employment policies without the United States government putting its imprimatur on homosexuality as something to brag about.

I support ending DADT for non-combat positions because I think such a step will help the military in its mission to fight and win wars. But I don’t have any illusions that that step won’t also lead to the gay community asking for more and more and more. I don’t want Navy ship captains to be performing same-sex marriages between sailors. I don’t want the government to offer servicemembers partner benefits available only to those the person in question is having gay sex with, and not others who might be equally worthy of benefits. But we’ve seen in the non-discrimination and gay marriage debates that the gay community will say, “Oh, we’re only looking for this little thing,” and pretty soon they’ll use that as a wedge to foist different policies on an unwilling public.