The films were offensive, to women and to Lesbian and Gay folks. Michelangelo Signorile on OutQ XM radio suggested yesterday that the point of these movies was to keep gays in the closet and enforce "Don't Tell." At some deeper level we know that bigotry is about power and control. Too often we give to much credit to this being a conscious decision. Our political correctness and lack of a bit thicker skin damages our cause.
This was an example of ignorance and insensitivity. It was a perfect opportunity to educate. The removal of Capt. Honors has made that a lost opportunity. He will be a victim in the minds of the the many men and women that came to his defense. Honors was well like and, by all accounts, a capable leader. His dismissal makes him a martyr to political correctness and he will be seen as a victim of the repeal of DADT by a shipload of 19 year old sailors, most of whom will not be able to see this as anything but black and white.
A reprimand and a public statement of apology could have been the start of building support for the education which is key to making gay men and lesbians welcome in the military.
Just stumbled across this and had to leave a comment. From what i've seen, i wouldn't say that the Navy overreacted when they relieved him of his command. Being politically incorrect isn't an offense, but he took it a step beyond that. As someone who is a queer in the Navy, i can tell you that we shoulder a lot of political incorrectness while on the job and often even join in. But tensions over DADT have left a lot of us feeling sore and that means a high ranking officer behaving as he did can really hurt (even through what i promise you is thick skin).
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Navy is using Capt. Honors to make a statement, but trust me when i say we need it. If we're to transition fully to a post-DADT military, we need to start now (though i do have to say that i don't think his dismissal can be honestly tied to the repeal of DADT). Perhaps he's genuinely a good guy and i'd get along with him if we were to meet on the street, but that doesn't change the fact that he acted inappropriately.
I sure wouldn't want to have to salute him.