West Point Thesis Challenges Gay Policy

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/08/08/national/w140532D76.DTL

Alexander Raggio says he was 16 when he learned one of his relatives was gay — and watching that person's struggle gave him a grim introduction to discrimination against gays.

He carried those feelings into West Point, and in his senior thesis argued that the military's policy banning gays is not only wrong, but harmful to the Army.

The Pentagon may not agree, but the U.S. Military Academy gave him an award for the paper.

"I love the Army and I think that this is hurting the Army," said Raggio, 24, in an interview this week from his new military post at Fort Riley, Kan. "I see it as my obligation to say 'I don't agree with what you're doing.' I'm not being insubordinate — I just think we're making a mistake here."

He said it was the first time he had spoken publicly about the paper or the award, which he received last year when he graduated from West Point in New York.

Hope this young man makes General some day!

[Maven]

1. WOOT!

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[Rowdyboy]

2. The young man is a class act and a true credit to the uniform.....

Hope Bosshog sees this thread. He'd appreciate the young man's sentiments.

[wiley]

8. Agreed!

A good man.

[wiley]

9. K and R and a salute!

[Maraya1969]

3. I would love to read that paper. Kudos to him and to West Point!

[karlrschneider]

7. Here's a link to the PDF of his paper

http://www.gaymilitary.ucsb.edu/Publications/2006_08-RaggioDADTDB.pdf

[Lost-in-FL]

10. Thanks for the link!!

I am reading it right now and have great points. EXCELLENT!!!

[tbyg52]

35. Hear, hear!

As so many forget nowadays,
"The Constitution as a document is designed almost entirely to prevent the abuse of power and the arbitrary persecution of minority groups, no matter how unpopular."

:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

[Placebo]

4. What a man in uniform should be!

Bravo! :applause:

[heliarc]

5. Excellence

is difficult to find in our leaders. I'm glad to see that there are still thoughtful people who are on the road to being officers. We need them more than ever. He should be proud.

KICK!

[erik-the-red]

6. Uncommon

It was very brave of Mr. Raggio.

[sgxnk]

11. excellent paper

well written, and with good points

[Throd]

12. That he got the award is significant

Another step in the right direction.

[Ian David]

13. We're knowing recruiting Klansmen and neo-nazis...

but we're firing Arabic-language translators for being gay.

"Hey, I don't want no queer looking at me in the shower."
"He's a translator. He sits at a desk. He commutes to the base from home."
"Yeah, well, I mean when I shower at his house."
"Why would you shower at his house?"
"Well, suppose I have bad acne on my back, and I need someone to lather me."
"Uhm... okay..."

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[muryan]

15. I wasnt aware that

gay is a 3rd sex. Ive never walked into a restaraunt and saw a men, women, and gay bathroom. So why would the military have to segregate them based on their sexual identity? Its no different than when men and women are station on the same base in the same regiment. They have their sexual lives during their free time.

[alarimer]

16. You are a bigot

And not "gay-tolerant" at all. It makes you uncomfortable? Well get the fuck over it and grow up!!

[davidinalameda]

17. third sex?

first of all :wtf:

I'm just as much of a man as any heterosexual man out there

the military does have a right to discriminate against those who aren't mentally or physically fit for duty but the generic gay or lesbian is mentally and physically fit for duty; there have been thousands of gays and lesbians, if not millions, who have served this country

A friend of mind did 20 years in the Navy; made office after going in as an enlisted man

he did a tour of Vietnam; was stationed as a Navy liason in Korea, in the winter no less

he served with other gays and lesbians

where do you get off telling him that he's not fit to serve his country

[Throd]

18. Dude, the Crackpottery Barn called...

...they want you back before dark!

[davidinalameda]

34. brava

:rofl:

[wiley]

19. R U John Stossel?

[saigon68]

20. yikes

[Lyric]

21. Pity this got deleted

I had a lengthy response typed out. Ah well. I'll post the short version.

As a lesbian, let me make this clear: homosexual people are no less trustworthy than heterosexual people. If we sign a piece of paper that says we agree to devote ourselves to the military's definition of "the greater good", then we are as likely to keep our word as any straight person. Our sexual orientation has nothing to do with our ability to abide by the contracts we sign.

If straight people have a problem with gay people serving, it's not the fault of the gay people. Why should we be denied the chance to serve our country just because certain people aren't tough enough to overcome the ingrained "ick factor" of viewing gay couples? That's THEIR problem, not ours. We should not be punished for the smallness and narrowness of THEIR minds.

If the day ever comes that the draft is reinstated, we'll see just how strong the military's stance against homosexuality really is, when the straight kids start claiming to be gay in order to avoid service. Until then--our gay brethren will keep fighting for equal treatment, and pitying those small-minded folk who insist that we aren't good enough to defend our nation.

[wiley]

23. Concise. Well put. Very readable even for the impatient.

The disturbing thing is how some people accept the physical abuse and murder of the "other" solely because it is accepted behavoir among their sect.

[JudyM]

24. Perspective dictates reality for some, justifying their bigotry.

Welcome to DU, sister!
:toast:

[Biernuts]

28. NSA was the first government agency in DoD and the Intelligence

Community to accept openly gay employees and the Agency has a GLBT Chapter. But of course, most here would close the Agency down if they could.

What they don't allow is a gay employee who would "do anything" to avoid being outed since they would be subject to blackmail from a foreign power.

[davidinalameda]

33. welcome to DU

nice to see some more WVians on here

I'm a former WVian

:hi:

[YankeyMCC]

22. Nice paper

and here is a key point that the author makes and goes to the core of more issues we are facing with our military than just the immoral 'don't ask don't tell' policy.

"Ethics is and must always be an integral part of the profession of arms."

rAmen!

[krkaufman]

25. I just don't see how underutilizing our best and brightest ....

... can be a good thing. How many Arabic translators have been fired for being gay? (One would be more than we can afford.)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

27. To put it in the full perspective...

80 translators and doctors have been discharged under this policy. 10,000 troops total at a cost of $364 MILLION to American taxpayers.

There is a major campaign going on against this policy right now.

www.righttoserve.org

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

26. That's surprising.

I was arrested at West Point protesting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." They were the only military academy that didn't let Soulforce onto campus to talk to cadets.

[Biernuts]

29. You are not permitted to engage in protest on military installations.

It doesn't matter WHAT you are protesting.

Cadet (now Lieutenant) Ruggio of course was not protesting but writing a thoughtful thesis on a current topic. Something you could have done but chose another path.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

32. Well, West Point is the group those chose to make it into a protest

They could have allowed us onto campus and talk to cadets, which is what the other military academies did.

Regardless, I'm proud of my protest arrest.

[xchrom]

30. west point has a moment of rationality.

[cc488is]

31. Many officers feel the same way

as this young Lt. There will come a time, sooner rather than later, when gays will be able to serve openly and proudly in the military.