Tuesday, September 20, 2011, is a momentous day in history. On this day, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, or DADT, was repealed by President Obama. For those unfamiliar with this policy, it was originally passed by former President Clinton with the intention of ensuring protection for the gay and lesbian community of the military. Commanders did not have the right to ask someone his or her sexual orientation, and members were expected to not share theirs. While the intentions were good, the results were not. The gay military members felt trapped and discriminated against, as they rightfully should have. In no way should they have been legally bound to keep their sexual orientation a secret and face punishment or possible expulsion for the way they were born. Why should we all be forced to live in a world where we assume everyone is straight?
The times are changing, and society is becoming increasingly accepting of our differences. Advances in gay rights, such as the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, demonstrate the willingness of others to, at the very least, tolerate others who are different. What never ceases to amaze me is how the U.S. constitution states we are all born with our inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, yet our history has repeatedly violated the simplest part of our constitution. By denying gays in the military the right to be out and comfortable, the U.S. military denied them the rights to be free with who they are, and certainly the right to be happy. There is no reason to deny anyone of their inalienable rights because they have only one small characteristic that is different. We were all born with these rights, and there is no reason whatsoever they should be taken away.
Our generation has grown up in a time unlike any other. Some of the largest issues to ever exist, such as global warming, are thrust upon us, leaving us with the responsibility to solve the world’s crises. But, we have also grown up in a time where we have been given the opportunity to learn, discuss, and be open to topics that thirty years ago would never have been talked about. In my opinion, our generation has been given a chance to positively impact the world, forever. It is going to be left to us whether we will live in a world where people will live in fear of showing who they are, or creating a world where whether you’re gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, black, white, blue, or green is of no importance.
The repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is truly a great advancement to
equal rights. While there is still much left to do, this is one thing we can check off
the list. So, my fellow Collegiettes, I urge you think of the future, because pretty
soon, it will all be up to us.