Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Uruguay to drop gay military ban

So far, the Obama administration has waffled on what to do with the asinine and much-derided “Don't ask, don't tell” policy in the military. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said today that the president is working with legislators to find a "durable legislative solution." Yet an estimated 12,500 troops (such as West Point graduate Dan Choi) have been expelled since 1993 from the military due to their sexual orientation.

While the U.S. is moving at a snail’s pace to correct a terrible wrong, one South American country has resolved to take more immediate measures:
Uruguay is moving to lift a ban on homosexuals joining the armed forces…

The law had barred people with what it called "open sexual deviations" from entering the military academies.

It includes homosexuality among the "mental illnesses and disorders" that make a person unsuitable to join the armed forces.

The new decree states that sexual orientation will no longer be considered a reason to prevent people entering the military.
This could conceivably mean that gays can openly serve in the military in Uruguay before their U.S. counterparts get that chance.

Small world, huh?

Image- daylife.com (Troops at the Uruguayan Battalion headquarters received the vice president in 2007).
Online Sources- ABC News, Wikipedia, MSNBC, AHN

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