On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Lawrence v. Texas, regarding the constitutionality of state laws that criminalize same-sex sex and thus provide a rationale for denying gay citizens equal treatment by the state in numerous areas. I'll have more to say after I hear how the case was presented and how the Justices appeared to respond. For now, take a look at an interesting letter in our Mail Bag on whether or not Clarence Thomas's arguably libertarian leanings may come into play, and if not, why not.
On the other topic referenced above, I haven't had much to say
about the war because I don't view it as a gay issue. But clearly,
there are some pertinent angles, including the spectacle of some
gay activists trying to show who can denounce American foreign
policy most vehemently. But I don't want to forget the plight of
our gay and lesbian soldiers, and so I offer this, from the
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which reports:
According to Pentagon statistics, during fiscal year 2002 the armed services reported 906 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" discharges, down from 1,273 in 2001 and the fewest discharges since 1996. --
During any time of war or conflict, gay discharges have dropped. Gay discharges decreased during the Korean War, the Viet Nam conflict, the Persian Gulf War, and now again during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Which certainly begs the question of why the whole "lie and
hide" charade isn't put to rest so that gay and lesbian service
members can do the job their country needs them to do.
--Stephen H. Miller