DADT-Fly on the Wall Syndrome

[ofbg.livejournal.com]

I think I can speak for most heterosexual guys when I say, "we'd love to be a fly on the wall in the shower room at Spa Lady or our local Community College ladies shower room".

The reason; the object of our lust is there in quantity, in variety and without clothing. We respond to the visual. We like to look!

How does this relate to DADT? When a homosexual guy is in the shower room with a bunch of heterosexual guys, in a barracks or on a Navy ship, he is that fly on the wall. I can't speak for how homosexual guys think but they are guys and I've no reason to think the would react or think any differently and the heterosexuals would react no differently to that cute little number at Spa Lady, if she knew (maybe less screaming and more violence).

On Thursday, there was a hearing in the Senate Armed Forces committee on the subject. In the MSM, I can only find testimony from Gates and McMullen who referred to 'orders from the President', with a minor notation that McCain opposed without any mention of why he opposes.

Therefore I am forced to, because the transcript of the hearings is not yet available on .gov, to quote the evil right-wing media, to wit; World News Daily. Don't cop out by arguing the source, please argue the contents.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., pointed out during the first day of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings on Thursday that according to a survey conducted for the Pentagon, repealing DADT could create an "alarming" troop retention problem at a time when the military is already shorthanded. Said McCain, "If 12.6 percent of the military left earlier, that translates into 264,600 men and women who would leave the military earlier than they had planned Do you think that's a good idea to replace 265,000 troops in a time of war?"

Other estimates go over a half a million who will get out ASAP. There are charges that the polls were biased because they polled mostly non-combatants.

"Marine Corps commandant Gen. James Amos acknowledged Friday that a clear majority of combat Marines oppose permitting open homosexuality in the ranks".

Some of the limited info I found. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=235797

From another time in February. http://www.jcs.mil/speech.aspx?ID=1322

So let the controversy begin----------


Edit for telemann who provided better links.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/us/politics/03military.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=testimony%20don%27t%20ask%20don%27t%20tell%20mccain&st=cse

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/12/02/all-players-stick-to-script-at-senate-hearing-on-repealing-dont-ask-dont-tell/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/02/AR2010120201895_2.html?sid=ST2010120204930

Comments

[aannnndy.livejournal.com]

In my personal, from what I have gathered from many heterosexual men is many actually don't care as long as no one is "hitting" on them. As long as everyone is keeping to themselves, no one seems to care. Even if it is suspected that a couple of the guys are bisexual/homosexual.

[ofbg.livejournal.com]

Probably true for many if not most but what's left may have another perception.

[kawaiimamimi.livejournal.com]

Then they can deal with it. They're in the military. It should be their least concern if someone is checking out their ass.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Seriously.

I cannot imagine the biggest concern of men who are living in a country full of hostile terrorists is whether or not someone is getting aroused by looking at their wang in the shower.

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

If a workplace forced women to use the same showers as men and told them that if they weren't comfortable, they could deal with it, would you feel the same way?

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

happens on the space shuttle

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that the space shuttle doesn't have communal showers. Anyway, the space shuttle is a unique work environment. The people who do that kind of work are highly trained and intensively psychologically evaluated. During a mission, their time is tightly scheduled and they are monitored at all times. So, it's not really a high risk work environment for inappropriate behaviour.
Also, it's the freakin' space shuttle! Anyone who isn't willing to sacrifice a bit of privacy for a chance to fly in space shouldn't be there.

[nikoel.livejournal.com]

That's a false equivalence. Women aren't the privileged sex in this society. Gay men aren't the privileged party in this scenario. Straight men don't have a history of being intimidated or sexually assaulted by gay men.

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

In other words, you apply a double standard based on gender.

[moonchylde.livejournal.com]

It would be a double standard if all elements were equivalent. If women and men were raised to think gender ISN'T a big deal then yeah, let's throw everyone in the shower together. But we do make issues about gender from day one.

We are still working on it. But most hetero guys seem to have some hangups about equality.

Which is why such a large minority freak out over DADT ending. Because someone told them gay men are a problem. They aren't. They're just guys.

[http://users.livejournal.com/-wanderer-/]

They aren't. They're just guys.

Yeah, I agree. A lot of this fear about repealing DADT and showering with gay guys seems to rest on the notion that gay men are really just like women that are sexual predators; that isn't the case.

[nikoel.livejournal.com]

Privilege doesn't cease to exist just because you ignore it. Double standards work for the privileged group, not against.

[nikoel.livejournal.com]

It sounds like it's their problem then. Unless someone is actually leering at them, they need to just get over it.