Though U.S. Military recruiters can now accept openly gay applicants, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is still a hot topic among University students.
A federal judge granted an immediate injunction Oct. 12, prohibiting the policy’s enforcement. The 17-year-old policy banned openly homosexual men and women from serving in the armed forces.
For years, LGBTQ — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer — students in ROTC have been apprehensive about their future in the military, said Kat Barry, English senior and president of Spectrum, the University’s LGBTQ student organization.
Barry said LGBTQ ROTC students feel conflicted about protecting their country, because they’re excluded for sexual orientation.
Spectrum has members who were in the military as well as those planning to go into the military once they graduate, Barry said.
Clay Curry, international studies freshman, said he believes Americans willing to put their lives on the line to fight for freedom need to be recognized.
“A soldier’s sexual preference does not have any bearing on his or her ability to perform great deeds,” Curry said.
Trever Thibodeaux, fashion merchandising senior, also said he believes the policy is unfair.
“Sexual orientation should not matter,” Thibodeaux said. “The military is scrapping for servicemen and have no right to discriminate anyone for their sexual orientation.”
According to Cpt. William Conger, Army ROTC enrollment officer, recruitment numbers for all services have met their mission for the 2009-10 year. Acceptance into the armed forces is exclusive, and applicants must meet several standards, including particular test scores, height, weight and legal and financial background checks, Conger said.
Barry said the University’s ROTC program makes it clear there is no place for openly gay students in the program, and they are often encouraged to quit.
But Conger said he is “confident no one has been kicked out of the ROTC program for their sexual orientation” since his arrival at the University seven years ago.
The University’s ROTC program has never done anything to exclude anyone, and there has never been a problem or argument about the program’s policies, Conger said.
“ROTC follows military policies, and changes in these policies would be reinforced through ROTC,” Conger said. “I have taken an oath to the president of the United States and the Constitution to uphold orders.”
Barry said the elimination of the policy would be a                    monumental victory.
“A repeal of the policy would energize the LGBTQ community on a national scale,” Barry said. “Public opinion polls have been encouraging, and we are noting the change the younger generations are making.”
The anxiety generated by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” isn’t limited to cadets in the ROTC program but extends to any LGBTQ person or straight ally planning to dedicate their career to military service, and the situation is even more stressful for LGBTQ students wishing to join the military as a way to pay for school, Barry said.
With a state judge and two federal judges agreeing the policy is unconstitutional, many hope the repeal of the policy will ring in a new era of LGBTQ rights, Barry said.
Jarod Mardis, political science freshman, said he believes the government should take action now against the law.
“I believe we cannot hope to end the unfounded hate and discrimination directed toward the LGBTQ community until our government takes a definite stand against ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and other laws and policies like it,” Mardis said.
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Contact Kate Mabry at [email protected]