Gay is the new black

The year was 2004. The chance of America finding an easy way out of Afghanistan and Iraq was fading as fast as George W. Bush's popularity. The Democrats thought they could easily kick him out of office. So why didn't they?

Well, for one thing, the Democratic candidate, John Kerry, wasn't as inspiring as he could have been. There were also some irregularities in the Ohio vote count that benefited Bush. But a large number of voters said in exit polls that their main concern had been what they euphemistically called "social issues" or "lifestyle issues".

Kerry's antiwar message had been overshadowed by a vocal part of the country's Left which was pressing for larger societal changes. They wanted a new civil-rights movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. "Gay is the new black," they said, in a reference both to black as a fashionable color and to the African-American struggle.

The government had done its part to alienate the gay lobby by forbidding the hiring of gay interpreters for Middle Eastern languages. Further, the extended use of America's armed forces had revived discussion of the role of gays in them.

In 1993, the U.S. had adopted a policy called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": officers weren't allowed to ask about their soldiers' sexual preference, and the soldiers weren't allowed to tell anyone. This was for the soldiers' own protection. Military officers told Congress that they'd heard of "blanket parties", in which a gay soldier, asleep in his bunk, would have a blanket pulled over him and then be beaten up by his heterosexual comrades-in-arms.

The gay community, however, regarded "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as a form of discrimination. Homosexuals should have the right to be who they are — and to serve their country — without having to put on a disguise, they say.

Remembering the lesson of 2004, the LGBT lobby was less vocal in 2008, and this time the Democratic candidate — Barack Obama — even made overtures to them. Now he's kept his promises.

In April, Obama issued a presidential directive ordering hospitals to give patients' same-sex partners the same rights as relatives.

And last week, following a promise in Obama's State of the Union address and four months of discussion, the House of Representatives voted 234-194 to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". The Senate is expected to concur when it votes in the coming weeks.

Americans, by and large, seem to be changing their opinions as well: "Despite some stigma, 69 percent of Americans in a 2009 poll supported allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly," reports Time magazine.

The military is a little perturbed, because Defense Secretary Robert Gates had asked for 11 months, not four, to review the matter. The new policy won't, in fact, come into effect until the Pentagon is finished in December.

Even the old policy wasn't always observed, however. "It's not as much of an issue as it seems," says Steve, a former student of mine whose openly gay lifestyle had not prevented him from serving in the army for four years. "You'd be surprised. Lots of people in the army are gay."