White House Eyes A Compromise On Gays In Military

White House Eyes A Compromise On Gays In Military. Philip Elliott WASHINGTON – A proposal to step up the repeal of the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military but still allow the Pentagon time — perhaps even years — to implement new policies was being discussed Monday by administration officials and gay rights activists.

The White House had hoped lawmakers would delay action until Pentagon officials had completed their study so fellow Democrats would not face criticism that they moved too quickly or too far ahead of public opinion in this election year. Instead, administration officials now expect Congress to move ahead this week even though advocates on both sides say it's not clear there are enough votes to lift the 1993 ban.

Under the proposal emerging from talks at the White House, Congress would remove the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" law even as the Pentagon continues an ongoing review of the system. Implementation of policy for gays serving openly would still require the approval of President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen. How long implementation might take was not known.

As an Institute member,I sent this email to U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings when they published an article and letter on the suject of “do not ask, do not tell.” It was not published.

Regarding homosexuality, Lieutenant Whipps and LtCdr Craven III rely for foundational credibility on the 1973 decision by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). Removal responded to a two year campaign Newsweek described as ongoing disruptive, chaotic attacks on psychiatrists and physiologists.

Yet at this annual meeting and throughout this period of disruptive attacks, no papers were presented refuting any research previously done. Eventually a third of APA’s 17,000 plus membership voted for removal. The under-voting and public attacks support the understanding that the decision came through intimidation, and not as a result of scientific reasoning. The process for this protracted dispute institutionalized an alternative to undergoing the mental stress and discipline of research. Now an interest group could publicly market their claim, and tailor the DSM to fit their agenda. Therefore, the way opened for the DSM to accumulate political manifestos and marketing brochures as much as attempts at scientific exposition.

After this mercurial, but unsubstantiated, decision a task force was established to ensure perpetual sanctity for this APA action. No research papers would again arise to confirm initial therapy success rates of 30% to 60 % substantiating that 7 of 10 homosexuals could eventually walk away from the lifestyle forever. This new task force would set standards for peer review of articles to ensure appropriate flexibility in design definitions, outcomes, and analytical models. Acceptable pre-ordained theses would compile selected human data points, using selected questions and behaviors, and arrive at pre-approved incites.

Psychology and Psychiatry have always had a tenuous hold on claims they were sciences with the standing of Chemistry and Physics. On the scale of intellectual rigor, their research more often resembles alchemy and/or oral history, and seldom, if ever, approaches the determinism found in a Chemistry laboratory.

The developments in statistics should have enabled them to a least determine there is a marginal or significant propensity for a particular disorder. Careful studies could have identified and graded methods of treatment. Given persistence in searching for correct methods of analysis, even accumulated episodic events could be sifted for transformation into valid information. Research would have proceeded more slowly and conclusions would have been less intuitive, but more stable. The disciplines would more often have adhered to the medical principle of “first of all, do no harm”. Responsible research should also acknowledge those pesky humans, who in spite of their genetics and upbringing, decide to live positive lives without APA professional help.

Instead, Psychology and Psychiatry have chosen to abandon all pretense of scientific rigor in exchange for popular societal and political acclaim. The barriers erected to meaningful research about homosexuality remind me of Genesis 3:23-24. In these verses the Lord God banished humanity from the Garden of Eden and placed an angel in the Garden to keep humanity away forever. By their actions, Psychology and Psychiatry appear content within their own Garden of Eden. They seem to consider the accoutrements of a religion to be more attractive than those of a science.

The current debate languishes for the inability of these two disciplines to make a meaningful contribution. They should lead a debate, which would examine whether any mental disorders are acceptable for people seeking or retaining military service. Military service should always be the ultimate meritocracy to compete successfully against enemies unconcerned with social engineering.

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