Comments on: Military Discharged 26 Gay Arab and Farsi Translators

By: Boyd

Boyd — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:43:53 +0000

I've noticed the same thing, Homer. I recall a shipmate who reenlisted, got the bonus (which, at the time (about 25 years ago) was paid as a lump sum) shortly after he arrived at DLI for Intermediate Arabic, and within a week, "discovered" that he was gay. Since he was booted on the government's action rather through his own misconduct (since he certainly hadn't "acted" on his supposed gayness), he walked out of the Navy about $20,000 richer than he would have if he just hadn't reenlisted (which is what he originally wanted to do).

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:05:32 +0000

Expanding on my previous post I'm sure the FBI, CIA, Homeland Security etc., could use their talents. Would they excluded from such employment? The GWOT includes law enforcement and para-military aspects as well conventional and non-conventional military operations.

By: Homer

Homer — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:04:33 +0000

What is missing here is context. Yes, the 26 were discharged for being "gay." However, as a DLI graduate, I can tell you that many young soldiers who are there for up to a year and a half get sick of the military look for ways to get out. Because the wide-body program is hard for some to achieve, the "I'm gay" strategy works well. I'd be really interrested to track down the 26 and see how many are still "gay" now that they are out.

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:00:43 +0000

Can they re-hired by DoD as civilian consultants?

By: Boyd

Boyd — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 18:10:42 +0000

Although I've been retired from the Navy for over ten years, I'm pretty sure that the security clearance regulations still prohibit homosexuals from being cleared for the levels required for cryptolinguists. So for those folks, at least, whether they're discharged or not, they're not allowed to work as cryptolinguists if they're discovered to be homosexuals.

By: Borlos

Borlos — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 17:07:29 +0000

These people are scum and should be subject to a good-ol-fashioned hanging like they do Iran. That'll teach these atheist Farsi lovers a lesson or two!

By: legion

legion — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 16:41:20 +0000

For another, the idea that the burden for this falls on the shoulders of "the military" is misleading. Federal law, notably the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Executive Order implementing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, are the impetus for this.

While technically true, that implementation throws a very wide latitude of enforcement back at the military. Now, if someone flatly announces to their CO "I'm gay" (which, as you say, raises the suspicion of shirking), the requirements are pretty clear for discharge. But if someone isn't actively trying to get out of the military, the level to which a commander can willfully ignore such things is pretty high. And I do have to agree with James that 26 people over 6 years, even in as small a field as Arabic/Farsi cryptolinguistics doesn't sound like a huge issue - I think the real news story is how people in some fields have an easier time playing the 'gay card' to get out than other areas... I wonder how many Infantry or MP types the Army has discharged for gayness in the same period...

By: odograph

odograph — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 16:17:21 +0000

Some cultures have a different idea of what's gay. If you have a wife(s) and kids, whatever else you get up to may not be judged harshly. If you ask me, Osama looks a little languid as he drapes himself on those couches.

Odo, who for the record is not gay by any culture's definition (in fact, that photo up there makes me strangely attracted to the ACLU) ... not that there's anything wrong with that.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 14:36:28 +0000

Let me play devil's advocate here:

Islam is, if anything, even more anti-gay than Christianity. Would gay translators alienate the Arab/Farsi speakers they worked with? If that's a reasonable fear, then can the military reasonably discriminate on that basis?

(Assuming of course that these guys aren't just sitting in an office translating news items and intercepted signals.)