The consequence of "don't ask don't tell" *should be* that openly gay persons could not be drafted.
Agreed. But how many people will "become openly gay"? I mean, people put on "sham marriages" for years. Queer chic is in. Faking it shouldn't be too hard. So how, then, does one establish their gayness?
Does the man who has known his homosexuality since age 13 get an exemption while the young man who's just discovering why he never got along well with his high school girlfriends does not?
So then we reach a point where we can look at two "new" homosexuals. One is struggling with his homosexuality and the prospect of the draft demands a resolution of the issue perhaps before he is ready to understand that choice. The other is just someone who doesn't want to go to war, and he thinks, "Maybe sucking c@ck a couple times wouldn't be so bad." (There's always that scene from Waters'
Pecker when the guy appeals to his father--the whole, "I'm not gay; they suck me off but I don't do them ...," argument.)
It creates an awful lot of confusion and unnecessary bad sentiment, and invokes the possibility of myriad ill-conceived notions for avoiding service. And all because the equal protection clause of the United States Constitution as amended is simply intolerable to a monied, influential minority.
Think of Joe Parent, whose son has died in Iraq. As "President Kerry" grimly announces conscription, Joe is walking down the street and sees a protester decrying the war. "My son died in that war," says Joe. "You shouldn't speak of what you don't know. I don't see you over in Iraq!"
And the protester shrugs and says, "Hey ... I'm not allowed to go to Iraq."
Joe asks, "Why?"
And the protester shrugs again and says, "It has something to do with someone else entirely."
Joe shakes his head, confused. "What?"
"Well, my wife is of the wrong gender. Even if I wanted to take your son's place in the line, I'm not allowed to."
