Last semester, Amherst revoked its policy prohibiting military recruiters on campus. For the College, the decision was made out of necessity; had the government chosen to enforce the Solomon Amendment, ruled constitutional by FAIR v. Rumsfeld, Amherst would have been ineligible for many public grants, almost certainly decimating its science departments. Tomorrow, the navy recruiter’s arrival (See front page) marks the first military visit to the campus since the College’s change in policy. But while we understand the College’s decision and the context in which it was made, we cannot remain silent. The military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” practice is neither just nor prudent national security policy. In the nearly 15 years since the policy was enacted, roughly 9,500 soldiers have been discharged for being homosexual. At a time when countless soldiers are being compelled to return to Iraq for multiple tours of duty, this number looms exceptionally large.
Even more troubling than the practical implications of the law is the homophobia that the military openly endorses through its policy. One of the main arguments in favor of the current procedure is that allowing gay men and women to serve in the military would jeopardize the morale and cohesion of our armed forces. Our troops deserve more credit than this; as evidenced by the many retired generals who have come out for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the recent past, homophobia is far from an accepted norm in the military.
Homophobia undoubtedly pervades the military, as it does the rest of the world, and even this campus, but we must not allow it to dictate our policy. There always have been and always will be people who resist social progress, but we are not at their mercy. We can fight back in favor of social change with a vigor that exceeds their inertia. If homosexuality makes a marginal group of soldiers uncomfortable, that is regrettable, but it is their problem. We must, therefore, cease burdening blameless soldiers who are serving the United States no less than their heterosexual comrades.
We cannot stop military personnel from recruiting on campus tomorrow. Rather than focus on what we can’t do, however, we should focus on what we can do. If we generate enough noise, we may just send the military back to base with a clearer understanding of our motivations than we ever could have by simply estranging them. If you find fault with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” take advantage of the recruiter’s presence this week by openly challenging the policy.
This does not demand malice. You can send a categorical message through symbolic gestures: lend support to members of the Pride Alliance, who plan to set up a tabling station across from the recruiters in the Campus Center on Friday; enlist friends who share your objection to the policy to publicize your sentiments with signs, banners or chalk; wear your message on your T-Shirt or backpack; picket the recruiters’ presentation at the Career Center this Thursday; or, even better, engage them in civil dialogue about the military’s discriminatory practice.
Tomorrow, the military comes to Amherst to advertise its cause. We, in response, can and should advertise our own: our unwavering support for the equal treatment of people of all sexual orientations.