Let’s get past silly concerns

This is one change that’s supported by the majority of Americans, civilians and military members alike. Poll after poll, year after year, proves this true.

So let’s address the frankly embarrassing arguments of those who object to repealing the discriminatory 1993 policy, “don’t ask, don’t tell: Killing it does not mean instituting the opposite. Gays and lesbians will not be required to talk about their sexual orientation. Just as heterosexuals are not.

Allowing “openly gay” people to serve does not mean “flamboyantly gay.” Unfortunately, because homosexuals, especially older ones, have long had to hide their sexual orientation (whether in the military or not), some people, especially older ones, don’t even know that they know someone who is gay.

(Does the suddenly flip-flopping Sen. John McCain believe he only served with heterosexuals in Vietnam?) All some people know are Hollywood stereotypes. The over-the-top characters from “Bruno,” “The Birdcage” and “Will and Grace” will not populate the military. Marches won’t look like a gay rights parade. There won’t be prancing.

The “disruptive” argument posited by opponents assumes that gay people would join the military for the purpose of being kicked out. Which strains the imagination and logic. Repealing the policy means people can honestly say who they are going to the movies with over the weekend; they can introduce their partner to others; they can display photos of loved ones, etc., just as heterosexuals do.

In general, people who serve in the military, or want to, are disciplined, or desire to be so. They know how to follow rules, and understand that individuality must come second to the purpose of the group. (Didn’t the heterosexual Zack Mayo character learn this lesson in “An Officer and a Gentleman”? Or Bill Murray’s character in “Stripes”? Goldie Hawn’s character in “Private Benjamin”?) (The policy, in fact, disproportionately affects women, who make up 15 percent of the armed forces, but represented nearly 50 percent of Army and Air Force discharges.)

President Obama, followed days later by Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, said overturning the policy is “the right thing to do.” Which it is, for human rights and the military. Since the Gulf wars, the military has struggled to find enough qualified recruits. Meanwhile, more than 12,500 women and men have been discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Nearly 800 of those were “mission-critical” specialists — including pilots, intelligence analysts, medics and linguists. A Blue Ribbon Commission report found that the taxpayer cost to replace and train service members discharged from fiscal years 1994 through 2003 exceeded $363.8 million.

The only real question remaining is how to make things right for those thousands of Americans who honorably served their country, but were kicked out under this policy, which the government now acknowledges is wrong.