Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for October 05, 2011
October 04, 2011
October 06, 2011
Transcript:
Melissa: So you think you'll tell anyone else, Roz? Soldier: Why wouldn't I tell anyone else? Melissa: I don't know. Some on the team might not respond well? Soldier: Hey, guys! Check it out - I'm gay! Voices: NO KIDDING! Soldier: And life goes on. Melissa: Amazing.
My uncle was gay and served as a naval medic in WW II during the Guadalcanal campaign. He never talked about it but my dad gave me the impression it was pretty awful for everyone there and it deeply affected my uncle. Still, he did his job and I doubt no one on board ship gave a rat’s fanny about his sexual orientation when he was trying to put their bodies back together.And the whole argument that gays in the military would undermine morale or reduce readiness is bogus. The military of almost all the other industrialized nations have had gays serving openly and it does not seem to be an issue with them. Is Puritanism so painfully and deeply ingrained in Americans that we cannot cope with people different from us? I hope we grow up some day.