Im Moment schlagen hier die Wellen hoch, weil möglicherweise “Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell” (Wir, die Army, fragen dich nicht nach deiner sexuellen Orientierung und du teilst sie uns bitte auch nicht mit) im amerikanischen Militär wegen zweifelhafter Verfassungskonformität überarbeitet oder aufgehoben werden soll.
Deswegen soll jetzt ein Meinungsumfrageinstitut herausfinden, was denn der gemeine Soldat davon hält das Gesetz zu revidieren. Schon dieses etwas seltsame Vorgehen hat recht klug (und ein bißchen polemisch) ein Leserbriefschreiber in der New York Times kommentiert:
And what army ever took a survey instead of giving orders?
The Commander-in-Chief has turned into a Gallup Poll, it seems. This is somewhat unprecedented as a method of military command.
1. If Caesar crosses the Rubicon, would you:
– follow him without question?
– grumble but follow him?
– “Hades no, we won’t go”
– Cui bono?
2. What date should we pick for invading France?
– May 30, 1944
– June 4, 1944
– June 6, 1944
– Fourth of July. I always like fireworks.
3. What should Harry Truman do about Gen. MacArthur?
– Fire the son-of-a-bitch
– Reprimand the poor fellow
– Make him actually spend the night in Korea and not his hotel in Tokyo
– Nominate him to the GOP ticket
Ich habe im folgenden eine kleine Auswahl der interessantesten Fragen und möglichen Multiple Choice Antworten aus der online-Umfrag an 400.000 Mitglieder der US-Streitkräfte zusammengestellt (den kompletten Satz kann ich bei Interesse gerne schicken):
Have you shared a room, berth or field tent with a Service member you believed to be homosexual?
Have you been assigned to share bath facilities with an open bay shower that is also used by a Service member you believed to be homosexual?
(Yes/No)
If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and you are assigned to share a room, berth or field tent with someone you believe to be a gay or lesbian Service member, which are you most likely to do?
-Take no action
-Discuss how we expect each other to behave and conduct ourselves while sharing a room, berth or field tent
-Talk to a chaplain, mentor, or leader about how to handle the situation
-Talk to a leader to see if I have other options
-Something else
-Don’t know
If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and you are assigned to bathroom facilities with an open bay shower that someone you believe to be a gay or lesbian Service member also used, which are you most likely to do?
-Take no action
-Use the shower at a different time than the Service member I thought to be gay or lesbian
-Discuss how we expect each other to behave and conduct ourselves
-Talk to a chaplain, mentor, or leader about how to handle the situation
-Talk to a leader to see if I had other options
-Something else
-Don’t know
If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and a gay or lesbian Service member attended a military social function with a same-sex partner, which are you most likely to do?
-Continue to attend military social functions
-Stop bringing my spouse, significant other or other family members with me to military social function
-Stop attending military social functions Something else
If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and you had on-base housing and a gay or lesbian Service member was living with a same-sex partner on-base, what would you most likely do?
-I would get to know them like any other neighbors.
-I would make a special effort to get to know them.
-I would be uncomfortable, but access to the exchange, commissary, and MWR facilities is more important to me than who my neighbors are when deciding where to live.
-I would be uncomfortable, but the quality of on-base housing is more important to me than who my neighbors are when deciding where to live.
-I would be uncomfortable, but the cost of moving makes it unlikely I would leave on-base housing.
-I would probably move off-base.
Man darf bei dieser suggestiven Fragestellung nie aus den Augen verlieren, dass a) genau diese Situationen heute schon möglich sind (und sich nichts ändern würde, egal, ob das Gesetz nun bestehen bleibt oder aufgehoben wird), – und b) möge sich vorstellen, wieviele Anti-Diskriminierungsgesetzeshüter aufschreien würden, fragte man in eben diesem Wortlaut nach anderen Minderheiten (“Haben Sie Ihr Zelt schon einmal mit einem Mexikaner geteilt?” “Was würden Sie tun, wenn nebenan ein Schwarzer einzieht?”)
Ganz schrecklich finde ich auch die Fragen nach der Moral der Truppe im Felde:
If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and you are working with a Service member in your immediate unit who has said he or she is gay or lesbian, how, if at all, would it affect the extent to which..
(Very positively / Positively / Equally positively as negatively / Negatively / Very negatively / No effect)
a) Service members in your immediate unit can get help from their leaders on personal problems?
b) Leaders in your immediate unit trust their unit members?
c) Leaders in your immediate unit have the skills and abilities to lead unit members into combat?
d) Leaders in your immediate unit care about their Service members?
If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and you are working with a Service member in your immediate unit who has said he or she is gay or lesbian, how, if at all, would it affect your immediate unit’s effectiveness at completing it’s mission…
(Very positively / Positively / Equally positively as negatively / Negatively / Very negatively / No effect)
a) In a field environment or out to sea?
b) When a crisis or negative event happens that affects your immediate unit?
c) In an intense combat situation?
(Ich hätte zu fast jeder dieser möglichen Antworten eine sarkastische Bemerkung in petto, aber irgendwie ist mir angesichts dieser Absurdität die Lust vergangen. Wessen homophobe Phantasien laufen denn hier Amok? Woher diese Besessenheit mit Duschen? Warum die geradezu panische Angst davor, jemand könne einer Militärsozialveranstaltung (und was ist das überhaupt?) fernbleiben oder vom Kasernengelände wegziehen? Was soll der Kaplan tun? Und warum? Wie sollen die hetero-schwulen Diskussionen für die Regeln der gemeinsamen Zeltbenutzung ablaufen: Straight soldier: “I expect you not to rape me” – Gay soldier: “I expect you to not bash my brains in while I’m sleeping.“? Was würde sich ändern, wenn meine Einheit aus Heterosexuellen bestünde?)
Die Autoren der Umfrage betonen, dass die Begriffe “homosexuell”, “schwul” und “lesbisch” in dieser Studie synonym verwendet werden, ihre ersten Fragen enthalten jedoch ausschließlich den klinischen Wortlaut “homosexuell”. Dazu die Huffington Post vom 14. Juli: “A fascinating new CBS/New York Times poll reveals that attitudes about gays and lesbians serving in the military turn on how the question is asked. It turns out that 42% of Americans oppose allowing “homosexuals” to serve openly in the military, but only 28% oppose allowing “gay men and lesbians” to serve openly. Conversely, 58% of Americans favor allowing “gay men and lesbians” to serve openly in the military, but only 42% favor allowing “homosexuals” to serve openly. Apparently, some 15% of Americans don’t know that “gay men and lesbians” are “homosexuals.”
So etwas wie diese Umfrage ist noch nie da gewesen; die führenden Schwulen- und Lesbenverbände der Vereinigten Staaten, liberale und linke Denker, Schreiber und Kommentatoren (und mich) läßt der Verdacht nicht los, dass damit eher die in den Streitkräften weit verbreitete Homophobie geschürt werden soll, und weniger ein fragwürdiges Gesetz revidiert. So sieht das auch dieser Autor eines Schwulenblogs: Not quite as horrible as it could be, I guess. At least there’s no option to answer, “I’d kill the goddamned queer!” But since when does the military ask service members’ opinions on anything before issuing an order to them? Think we’ll be seeing anything like this in the near future? 1. “If you think it’s obscene that the US is making wear in the Middle East for no good reason, what would you do?” 2. “Would you be willing to carpet-bomb an Afghani playground or wedding party to further the interests of Big Oil?” 3. “If you object to military chaplains proselytizing for Christianity, would would you do?” Yeah, like that’ll happen.
Ganz bestimmt.
Wie immer finde ich den Umgang mit Sex, ob nun anders- oder gleichgeschlechtlich in den USA prüde, absurd, verlogen. Das “land of the free and the home of the brave” scheint es einfach nicht zu schaffen, über das puritanische Mayflower-Erbe hinauszuwachsen.