I found this excellent letter on a posting by a contributor to the Cleveland.com National Politics forum. I reproduce it here, because it encapsulates my sentiments as well. Apparently this was a letter to the Editor of Stars and Stripes, a military publication.
Not a God-given right
To the writer of "Era of not trusting gays over" (letter, July 6): I would say that while he is free to voice his opinion, his argument is invalid.
Homosexuals are not forbidden from drinking from the same water fountains as others, or segregated from restaurants and schools, or denied the right to vote. Therefore, homosexuality cannot be viewed as a civil rights issue.
Homosexuals claim their rights are hindered because they cannot serve openly in the military. I say strongly that military service is not a God-given, inalienable right. It is a privilege, one that those who volunteer for it hold dear. It is an honorable profession with a proud history.
Like [in] nearly all institutions, there are requirements to join and remain within it. If one does not meet those requirements, or violates the established rules and regulations, then that person can be deemed unfit to be part of the organization.
Additionally, to suggest that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. included gay rights in his movement for equality is outrageous. He was a Christian man of great faith, and I find it impossible to believe that he did not view homosexuality as morally repugnant.
Homosexuality is a chosen behavior. King hoped that people everywhere would judge each other not by skin color, but by their character. The writer contradicts himself when applying it to gays because homosexuality is part of one’s character. Therefore, I judge it to be immoral and unacceptable behavior, and will raise my children to view it the same.
The military is among the few institutions remaining that promotes and stands for morality and good order, and I sincerely hope that elected officials and lawmakers everywhere and at all levels will keep it that way, instead of catering to the whims of a mere few for the sake of votes.
Capt. Lynn B. Gatrell
Camp Liberty, Iraq
My comment, which I made in response to the above letter, was: "We must keep this minuscule moneyed minority from mucking the military’s mission."
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