Men (And Women) In Uniform

Following the news that legalising same-sex marriage in the UK did not cause the total and irrevocable collapse of civilisation comes the equally shocking news that allowing homosexuals and lesbians to openly serve in the military did not cause said military to devolve into a horrific pantomime of mistrust, violence and bigotry, nor, incredibly, has it destroyed the effectiveness of said military.

Seven years after the British Army changed its policies towards openly gay soldiers, the MoD says that the problems have been pretty much nonexistent.

Since the British military began allowing homosexuals to serve in the armed forces in 2000, none of its fears — about harassment, discord, blackmail, bullying or an erosion of unit cohesion or military effectiveness — have come to pass, according to the Ministry of Defense, current and former members of the services and academics specializing in the military. The biggest news about the policy, they say, is that there is no news. It has for the most part become a nonissue.

Well who in all of the world would have thought it?

Oh, right. Almost everyone who doesn't have their head firmly up their own arse, that's who.

These two non-events have set a worrying precedent. Next these strange gay folk will want to do stuff like stand for political office, and be cops, and - gasp - teachers.

Y'know, be judged on their abilities rather than their sexual orientation.

What a novel thought.

Some, however, aren't convinced by silly, irrelevant stuff like facts and real-world experience. Being gay is immoral, gays in the military are a threat to everything and everyone, blah blah blah.

It's the 21st century, people. Aren't we supposed to be beyond this kind of medieval crap by now?