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I see a lot of discussions here that discuss equal rights and treatment in the military, and others that are critical of changes to the military like gender equality, sexual orientation and how they affect mission readiness. My question boils down to how do we attain equal opportunity without sacrificing the fighting power of the military. Do you think it's possible to do so without weakening our fighting power, or do you think that the military is being forced to be a social experiment that risks our national security?
Posted in these groups: 
Equality
Equality
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 10
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My simple answer? Do not acknowledge race, gender, sexual preference, religion, nationality etc... AT ALL! No forms should include sections for race, gender, religion, etc... If we are all equal, than all of those are irrelevant, so there's no need to track it. Also, no special holidays. There's no such thing as "XXX" history. There is only HUMAN HISTORY.
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Everyone should be regarded solely through their own merits, not through happenstance of birth or genetics. We don't celebrate hair colors or foot sizes, so why celebrate any other genetic irrelevance like race, gender or color? Those aren't accomplishments, they're just random variables at birth, much like eye color.
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In short, treat everyone the same, and stop focusing on our differences. No more "strength through diversity" campaigns. Let's start having "strength through competence" campaigns.
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Lt Col (Join to see)
So, when can I expect to stop getting monthly emails about the Asian-Pacific-Islander-Black-LGBT-Jewish-Latino breakfast every other month?
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If the person can pass the physical and mental prerequisites of a combat MOS then they are in. If there is to be acceptance don’t change the requirements, no special treatment, no special equipment, and no special rules. And by special rules I am also talking not circumventing a commander’s authority on discipline and morale. The reason BUDs /SQT works so well (going ‘70s old school here), is the knowledge that anyone that wears the “Trident” qualified using the same standards regardless of rank, religion, gender or what color car they drove. So what I am saying is keep the standards for a combat MOS high, no short cuts, and no specials… on the other end anyone wearing the “patch” went through the same qualifications and you have to respect that.
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I believe that our volunteers, fully understanding the multi-gendered nature of our force, will rise to the occasion and become the greatest military the world has ever seen, where the personality and loyalty of their battle companions is all the matters. I do believe we will get past the issues of who has what below the belt and what the orientation if their buddy is. One of the key tenets of being an American is acceptance of diversity, and of Service, is respect for any who chose to serve.
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Cpl Ray Fernandez
I agree with you there. The question I'm thinking of is more related to the full integration of the genders into infantry and combat arms units. What I'm wondering is if we need to change the physical requirements to truly make things equal. When I served I knew men who could barely meet the physcal standards, and women who could exceed the male standard in the PFT. With the recent mess that the Marine Corps encountered after attempting to switch women to doing pull ups as part of the PFT, and over half failing, how does an outcome like that affect the persuit of true equality versus the argument some make that the military is becoming a "social experiment" more focused on inclusion than on winning wars.
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CW2 Joseph Evans
The argument is actually invalid. Physical capability is more a matter of mindset rather than gender. We've created a cultural perception of women as the "weaker" sex that creates a self-fulfilling process. As you have stated, you have worked with men that could barely achieve and women that would leave over achievers in the dust. You look at sporting events around the world, MMA, Adventure races like Spartan and mudders, the Crossfit games... There are a lot of women achieving feats in these that your average "Combat skills" Soldier, Sailor or Marine can't compare. So the capability is there, but is the leadership? is our coaching and commitment there? Are we willing to put the effort into training people (men and women) to be the best they can be? or are we just going to keep paying it lip service?
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