Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Shhh, let’s all just pretend, can’t we, that we’re happy heteros in this barracks. Yes Sir, Sir! At ease, gentlemen.

That’s been the official policy in the U.S. Military towards gays since the days of Bill Clinton who, of course, had his own personal Don’t Tell policy. (There was a happy hetero!) But now, finally, eighteen years after Canada made homosexuality legal in its military, the U.S. is moving in that direction.

In Canada, gays and bisexuals can serve openly because, in 1992, a court declared that a ban violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Eight years later, a study from the University of California’s Palm Center did a study on the Canadian military to see the effects of that decision. Did the military fall apart? Was gay-bashing rampant? Hardly. The study was favourable, and had this as one of its key findings: Before Canada lifted its gay ban, a 1985 survey of 6,500 male soldiers found that 62% said that they would refuse to share showers, undress or sleep in the same room as a gay soldier. After the ban was lifted, follow-up studies found no increase in disciplinary, performance, recruitment, sexual misconduct, or resignation problems.

There was, in other words, no negative fall out from coming out. In battle, we’re all a band of brothers. This is not to imply Canada is fully enlightened. We’re not all flag-wavers for ending sexual discrimination, but let's gloat a wee bit, shall we, for being ahead of the States. Now, if only we can make a dent in that last bastion of don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t even think about it: The National Hockey League.