Oh my gawd. Russia is employing Soviet tactics in the Ukraine. Iran and Syria thumb their nose at everyone with aggression and WMD. Obama screwed the pooch in Benghazi, he supports Hamas, kowtows to Islamofascists, and he disrespects our allies and placates our enemies.
If that doesn’t have our foes laughing their asses off, this is the kind of military that is supposed to fight and win the nation’s wars.
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — Since the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, U.S. military bases have hosted a gay marriage ceremonies and a potluck gatherings. But on Saturday, servicemembers here may have been the first to take to the stage and perform as drag queens on a military installation in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender troops.
Drag queens and drag kings, to be precise.
Six servicemembers — gay, lesbian and straight — donned heavy makeup to dance and lip sync songs such as “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” for a raucous capacity crowd at the Rocker NCO Club at Kadena Air Base. The event was a fundraiser for the recently formed Okinawa chapter of OutServe-SLDN, which is the largest nonprofit advocate for the military’s LGBT community.
“We didn’t think there was much of a desire for an event like this on the island but it has actually blown up,” said Navy Lt. Marissa Greene, co-chapter leader of OutServe Okinawa.
Greene said she had hoped to sell about 75 tickets to fund some future support activities for the group, which was formed last summer and still “starting from scratch.” The event was approved as a “variety show” by Kadena’s 18th Wing through the same process as other on-base fundraisers.
But an initial 200 tickets were plucked up almost immediately, so they issued another 200.
“We ended up selling 400 tickets in 10 days,” she said.
Amid the unexpected success, OutServe carefully avoided any mention of politics, but its variety show comes at a pivotal time for gay civil rights in the United States, with many states passing laws dealing with marriage or debating individual liberties.
It is also a sign of the times within the military; just a few years ago, gay and lesbian drag performances on a military base would have been unthinkable and potentially a cause for dismissal from the service.
The repeals of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, as well as the Defense of Marriage Act — the law barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages — have allowed gays and lesbians in the military to be open with their sexuality for the first time.
I served for a total of 30 years (10 Reserve and 20 Active Duty) in the United States Army. Most homosexuals I knew kept it discreet. They didn’t flaunt it and they certainly didn’t have an in-your-face attitude. They focused on their duties and the mission. Their sexuality was secondary. The Dems in particular, chomped at the bit to get the DADT repealed and they finally succeeded.
This is NOT A CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE, no matter how much they insist. Gender, nationality, ethnicity, and skin color are difficult, if not impossible, for most people to conceal. Sexuality, on the other hand, can be kept private and none of anyone else’s business.
This new “openness” is going to cause unnecessary distractions and needless complications. Now comes the problem of how to deal with gay same-sex “harassment”, gay military partners who want to marry, and gays using their “protected status” by “acting out” and refusing to deploy to war.
Not to mention AIDs. Or how this will affect on post housing for “partners”. Or the rules on fraternization.
Or those who would use their sexuality as an excuse not to do what they were trained for: Break things and kill people.
It also subjects openly gay service members to ostracizing, distrust and violence, especially if they try sexual advances on straight Soldiers and Marines who aren’t receptive to a pass from the same sex.
I retired in 2006, while we still had a decent Commander-in-Chief and at least a modicum of discipline and toughness.
This latest shit has me shaking my head in disgust and disbelief. I am so glad I retired.