Integrity Isn’t Just a Military Value

Integrity Isn’t Just a Military Value

Integrity Isn’t Just a Military Value

On Tuesday, several of the nation’s top military officials, including Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, spoke out in favor of ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the Clinton-era policy that can get a lesbian or gay service person fired if their sexuality becomes known. Mullen tweeted later: "Stand by what I said: Allowing homosexuals to serve openly is the right thing to do. Comes down to integrity."

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

On Tuesday, several of the nation’s top military officials, including Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, spoke out in favor of ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the Clinton-era policy that can get a lesbian or gay service person fired if their sexuality becomes known.

Mullen tweeted later: "Stand by what I said: Allowing homosexuals to serve openly is the right thing to do. Comes down to integrity."

Hoorah! But before we pat our leaders on the back for talking about integrity, can we just point out that the military is mostly a grand symbol in this debate.

For many the biggest problem with the US military is not how it treats its own, but how it treats outsiders it considers "other" –Iraqis or Pakistanis for example. It’s possible that unteaching machismo within could improve the institution’s respect for the human rights of all. But — I hate to mention it — eliminating Don’t Ask Don’t Tell will not create full equality in the USA.

Workplaces around this country in a world of different professions and places are dangerous places for LGBT people. Willing and able workers can be fired for who they are. The National Gay And Lesbian Task Force, which is about to hold its annual Creating Change conference in Texas this weekend, points out that it’s still legal in 29 states to fire someone because of their sexual orientation. In 38 states, people can be fired for being transgender — not fitting in to gender stereotypes.

Where’s our integrity as a nation that claims to be founded on the principles of Every Person Is Created Equal?

The President’s push to hold hearings on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a step up from not talking about it at all. But a year of hearings on the military, past present and future?

What we need is an inclusive employment non-discrimination act that applies to ALL jobs, and all people — not just the military — and we need it now.

The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com. Follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com.

Hold the powerful to account by supporting The Nation

The chaos and cruelty of the Trump administration reaches new lows each week.

Trump’s catastrophic “Liberation Day” has wreaked havoc on the world economy and set up yet another constitutional crisis at home. Plainclothes officers continue to abduct university students off the streets. So-called “enemy aliens” are flown abroad to a mega prison against the orders of the courts. And Signalgate promises to be the first of many incompetence scandals that expose the brutal violence at the core of the American empire.

At a time when elite universities, powerful law firms, and influential media outlets are capitulating to Trump’s intimidation, The Nation is more determined than ever before to hold the powerful to account.

In just the last month, we’ve published reporting on how Trump outsources his mass deportation agenda to other countries, exposed the administration’s appeal to obscure laws to carry out its repressive agenda, and amplified the voices of brave student activists targeted by universities.

We also continue to tell the stories of those who fight back against Trump and Musk, whether on the streets in growing protest movements, in town halls across the country, or in critical state elections—like Wisconsin’s recent state Supreme Court race—that provide a model for resisting Trumpism and prove that Musk can’t buy our democracy.

This is the journalism that matters in 2025. But we can’t do this without you. As a reader-supported publication, we rely on the support of generous donors. Please, help make our essential independent journalism possible with a donation today.

In solidarity,

The Editors

The Nation

Ad Policy
x