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http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/06/062008ham.htm

Pride Bans Gay Soldiers
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: June 20, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET

(Hamilton, Ontario) Gays and lesbians have been part of the Canadian military since 1992 when the armed forces lifted its ban on gays from serving.

Since then members of the military have marched in uniform in LGBT pride parades in most Canadian cities, including Hamilton a steel town of about a half million people about 40 miles southwest of Toronto.

But this year military gays were noticeably absent in Hamilton.

Hamilton Pride Festival banned the Canadian military over what it says are human rights violations in countries where the armed forces are serving - notably Afghanistan and Haiti.

The festival says it made the decision after receiving a complaint from a new Canadian who said she feared the military because of persecution by Canadian officers in her homeland.

The pride festival barred a contingent of gay soldiers from marching in the parade and has blocked the military from setting up a recruitment booth.

Emily Groom, the festival's co-chair told the Canadian Press that the organization has the right not to affiliate itself with institutions that perhaps may raise human rights concerns.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense said that no Canadian officers have ever been charged with human rights abuses in any country where the military is serving.

©365Gay.com 2008

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense said that no Canadian officers have ever been charged with human rights abuses in any country where the military is serving.

Hmmm... methinks the Canadian Ministry of National Defense has a short memory. To wit, The Somalia Affair

As for Hamilton Pride barring military gays and lesbians, I think that's just plain stupid. That gays and lesbians can serve openly in the Canadian Armed Forces is such a major step forward for all sexual minorities that the organizers of the event are merely bayoneting themselves in the foot with such an interdiction. If a person fears some government authority or institution, he or she should simply not attend celebrations or events in which members of that institution are also participants. If, as an immigrant, you choose to emigrate to a country whose military forces you know for a fact have commited atrocities in your own nation, well, that's your choice.

Military culture is what it is. While the commission of human rights violations, even in the course of active military duty, are inexcusable and indefensible, the fact remains that people in the military are given a mandate that can (and often does) include termination of adversaries with extreme prejudice. This word, prejudice, is key; and it is the case that some prejudiced people (who often misinterpret or don't understand their own orders) will be drawn to the power over life and death conferred upon them by that mandate and thus have no truck with compassionate treatment of an enemy (who's often seen as an enemy merely by virtue of his "otherness"). Again, a few bad apples spoil the lot. My father's wife's son has been in the military all his adult life. He's no rabid killer. And nobody that he knows is psychopathic or a white supremacist.

The fear of one person, however much justified, regarding the national military ought not to trump the recognition that that military is trying its best to adhere to progressive social norms in the matter of equality. Yes, equality. And, yes, despite Somalia.

Hamilton Pride is applying the kind of pressure on a segment of the gay community that once forced the entire gay community itself to live on its knees. Not good.

CJ

The mindset of "respect us but we dont have to respect you" is a problem.
An extreme example would be, prejudice against say blacks isnt tolerated but if you are in the KKK that isnt tolerated, isnt that prejudice, pre judging someone without knowing the person.
I worked in Rhode Island for a while, funny place there the liberal north, they thought blacks were great, but they didnt like Jews, but then my supervisor didnt see a black in person till she was 18. Go figure.
My thinking is that in reality we are all flawed, we all pre judge. If I see a nasty homeless guy I dont want to invite him home for dinner but I can feel for his plight. If I hear someone say republicans or democrats are stupid I think how can they be so unaware that they have just condemmed half the population without knowing them.
Im not on this earth for acceptance, and I am as prejudiced and bigoted as the next guy whether he knows he is or not but I try to look at the person before I decide whether he gets my respect or acceptance.
I was in the US Army at a time when my cding would have meant a court martial and accepted the situation and took my risks to be who I am.
I never took part in any human rights abuses and actually I just drank a lot and had fun for two and a half years.
I guess my bottom line is ,with a few exceptions at least in my view, broad sweeping judgements or opinions arent the sign of a truly accepting or tolerant person or people.
Alicelyn
Well a rant of sorts, sorry if I offended anyone