Some state lawmakers hear the passions behind proposals to tell Missouri’s delegates in Congress to support keeping “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” or to tell our members of Congress to support throwing it out. Competing resolutins have been introduced in the state Senate taking opposite positions on the policy enacted in 1993.
Proponents of keeping “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” say homosexuals should be allowed to serve as long as they don’t let anybody know they’re homosexuals. Opponents of that plan say homosexuals have proven themselves to be as good as heterosexual soldiers but they live in fear someone will “out” them.
For former Marine Paul Curtman of Pacific, homosexuals should not be allowed to practice their lifestyle openly in the military. He tells a committee he served in a unit that had some homosexuals in it, and it took the unit some time to recover after learning of the sexual orientation of some of the members. But Air Force Academy graduate Beth Schissel, a lesbian whose two stepchildren and their spouses are all West Point graduates, says the record is clear that homosexuals are as committed to the military as straight soldiers.
A state Senate committee could decide next week which message to Congress will be debated by the full Senate. You can listen to that committee hearing by clicking on the link below.
