Lady Gaga is speaking out again in support of equal rights for all. The pop megastar has just released a video message asking the U.S. Senate to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which bans gay and lesbian Americans from serving openly in the military. (Legislation that could repeal the policy has already been passed in the House of Representatives.)
In the seven-minute black-and-white clip, which Gaga made for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, she wears a suit and tie in front of an American flag and explains why “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” violates the rights of men and women who want to serve their country. “Not only is the law unconsitutional, but it’s not even being properly or fairly enforced by the government,” Gaga says. “I am here to be a voice for my generation. Not the generation of the senators who are voting, but for the youth of this country. The generation that is affected by this law, and whose children will be affected. We are not asking you to agree with or approve the moral implications of homosexuality. We are asking you to do your job — to protect the Constitution.”
Click through to the jump to see Lady Gaga’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” clip.
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Mind your own business, unless you want to sign up and join.
You shouldn’t ‘mind your own business’ when your rights are not being protected. It doesn’t matter who you are, or if it affects you: if someone else’s rights are being infringed, then so are yours, because that shows that those rights aren’t considered so important as to be protected.
The military is a different culture. Like the saying goes, we are there to protect democracy, not practice it.
Yeah, well, there’s another saying: These truths are self-evident, than all men are created equal…
I guess the ladies are out of luck then.
That is the thing. People DO want to sign up and join, but they are being discriminated against. They used the same “military culture” argument when the services were integrated with african Americans. There is NO EXCUSE for discrimination.
Last time I checked, you can’t choose to be African American, you are born that way.
The Jackal….same thing goes for being gay. A person does NOT make a “choice” to be gay. Did you wake up one morning and “decide/choose” to be straight??? You can’t change someone’s sexuality. Although, hopefully, you can change someone’s bigoted viewpoints. I’m talking to you!
Considering it’s every American’s business, I’d suggest shutting up yourself. Or reading… or finding a clue or three.
The fact is, that because of DADT, gay Americans are ALREADY fighting and dying in our military. You are already working with them! The UK ended their discrimination in 2000, with no problems. Our military is working with these soldiers, with no problems! Let them continue to do their work, but allow them freedom from discrimination. No soldier that has risked his life for mine should have to have their benefits denied to them because of their sexuality.
No, not because of DADT, in spite of it. We’ve always had gays in the military, back to the Revolution. I’ve known gay Vietnam vets, and, interestingly, one friend who served in the Army in the 80s told me that the skills he learned there he put to use when fighting off gay bashers.
I assume the military know something we don’t and are not budging on DADT. We don’t know the complete story. What I would do is grant them the rights, then put them in the same platoon on the frontline.
That’s a copout. Do you always coward away from everything in your life?
I served my country for almost 11 yrs, and I was pretty much openly gay. The truth is that very few people had problems with me. My work ethic spoke for itself. Guys never really had a problem sleeping in the same berthing with me. They knew I was not interested in them. It all has to do with the way you carry yourself. Carry yourself with some diginity and you will see what a difference that makes. Know the difference between the workplace and your off time. Know that there is a place and time for everything. Don’t show up to work wearing tiny shorts and a tank top. It won’t fly, in the military or in the civilian sector. You want to be a respected human being, act and dress the part. It’s pretty hard to take someone serious when they are wearing leather chaps and chains around their necks demanding equal rights.
Who wears leather chains and chaps at work?
Leather chains? You know what I meant!
Excellent points. We had a guy who we knew was gay, he never admitted it but everybody knew. He had berthing cleaning duty and let me tell you, the berthing never looked so good. That’s not a knock so don’t try to make it out to be one.
LMAO @ Wakeforce..that made me giggle..
I think her video was well done and fairly appropriate. I didn’t like when she yelled into the microphone near the Capitol during the gay rights protest, because I think that took the focus off of the message of the protest and onto Lady Gaga. I think she’s learned from that and I’m glad that she’s speaking not as Lady Gaga, but as someone who cares for gay rights.
Who cares what this idiot thinks? It’s like the line in Team America about celebrities having the right to hear someone else’s opinion and mindlessly repeat it as their own. I personally have no problems with gay people serving open in the military but a lot of soldiers do and it’s life or death for them so it’s a difficult situation to ocmment on from the outside.
Oh, please. White men in the military had concerns when the military integrated. Should they have said “Okay, we’ll stay segregated, because we don’t want to hurt the soldiers’ feelings”? If you’re not going to serve at your best just because a gay guy or a lesbian happens to be in your platoon, then you’re not a good soldier.
I come from a military family. I know a good number of military brass. They don’t care. As for the grunts on the ground, if they can’t handle having a soldier next to them who happens to be gay, then they aren’t fit to wear the uniform.
“if they can’t handle having a soldier next to them who happens to be gay, then they aren’t fit to wear the uniform.”
CharlieD – well said. Couldn’t agree more.
“if they can’t handle having a soldier next to them who happens to be gay, then they aren’t fit to wear the uniform.” – that’s right!
Who cares what any idiot thinks? Or any non-idiot. Find a point.
Who cares what BlackIrish thinks? Why shouldn’t celebrities use their voice as a platform for causes? People already follow their every move for the most miniscule of reasons. Every time EW writes a piece on Lady GaGa, the boards light up, and the debate begins, and that’s a good thing.
I believe if someone is serving their country and are willing to die to defend us we should not let them die without dignity…Because, by not allowing these soldiers to feel free to express their identity, we are allowing them to die in vain…They deserve the right to fight or die with dignity…It’s OK for straights to talk about their wifes or families out in the open in the military. But, if “Gays” are to do the same they are shun…And, for all those that say that it’s a choice to be gay. Ask yourself this! Did you choose to be straight? You just know you are. It’s the same feeling when you’re Gay…These soldiers choose to be in the military but they have no choice in being gay! Lets respect them and honor their duty as soldiers! Because, all soldiers are fighting for our freedom!
And “BlackIrish” it used to be that people didn’t want Irish to have jobs with them or buy land from them. It was illegal to sell property to Irish and Blacks in DC at one point. Anti-Irish crap continued up through the Kennedy election when anti-Catholic types said the pope would be running the country. There were non-Irish speaking up for our families over decades of discrimination, so it’s time for us to speak up for gays and lesbians, even if we’re not directly affected by this policy.
I never got why Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is such a big deal. In every other facet of life, nobody ever asked me, “Do you like girls or boys?” and I have never seen anybody running down the street yelling, “I like girls!” or “I like boys!” Why does this even have to be a big deal in the military when normal civilians don’t do it.
They do. Where I work, just wearing a pink shirt led to speculation and a co-worker eventually being fired. He was asked, said it was none of their business, and was let go without cause.
Normal civilians do it all the time. Think about your conversations in the last month or so, how many times did you hear phrases like “my wife” or “my boyfriend.” It’s a normal thing to talk about the people who are or have been a big part of your life, especially with people you are currently fighting a war with.
A lot of the viewpoints are they don’t care if a person is gay, but they don’t want to hear about it or talk about it.
You should watch the video, Jackal, that is exactly what she is talking about. Many soldiers who do NOT talk about their private lives have been victims of this policy. When a person has to dig through your computer, your email, and contact your family members, clearly they weren’t being obnoxious about their preferance.
As Gaga mentioned, not only is the policy unconstitutional, but it isn’t holding up to the promise of “if you don’t tell, we won’t ask”. They aren’t telling, and they are still getting kicked out.
I’ve never been asked on any application what my sexual orientation was. Nobody would know unless I told them. The thing is, gay people don’t want to keep it to themselves, they want to have parades and be flamboyant about it.
Wow. No, they don’t want to be forced to keep their personal lives and relationships to themselves, but that certainly doesn’t mean that they’re flamboyant. Stupid stereotypes are so annoying.
Oh, those Irish folks. How dare they have their St. Patrick’s day parade. Why can’t they keep their heritage to themselves.
Eddie, you should watch the video, that is exactly what she is talking about. Many soldiers who do NOT talk about their private lives have been victims of this policy. When a person has to dig through your computer, your email, and contact your family members to find out your preference, it clearly shows that the vet wasn’t being obnoxious about their preferance.
As Gaga mentioned, not only is the policy unconstitutional, but it isn’t holding up to the promise of “if you don’t tell, we won’t ask”. They aren’t telling, and they are still getting kicked out.
Do you have pictures of a spouse or girlfriend on your desk at work? Do you wear a wedding ring? Do have kids and refer to their mother? Do you refer to your weekend plans with your spouse or girlfriend? If you’re married, did your wife take a married name and the title of Mrs? Do you ever tell a story over lunch with coworkers about some crazy ex girlfriend? – or mention that your wife makes great lasagne? If you are married, did you invite coworkers to your wedding? or run an announcement in the paper? You announce your sexual orientation in a million little ways every day.
And for the record, the Pride parades are a tiny antidote to the steady stream of hate people endure. It’s one damn day a year. And, if you ever went to one, you’d see ministers, parents with strollers, politicians in suits and along with the more colorful folks. There are plenty more gay folks at home who aren’t into the public displays.
Buddy, you’ve got a lot to learn.
You’re missing the point here. It’s not even just about what you say. There have been servicemen and women who were seen at the movies holding hands with their partner, and they were discharged because of it. They have to live in an extremely tight “closet” just to serve our country. DADT is wrong!
Please shut up Lady blah blah.
Yeah that’s really helping your cause having Lady Gaga backing it. The lady wore a meat dress! She is obviously not somebody who’s proven to have a lot of common sense. If I were a homosexual who wanted in the military, I would definitely ask her not to talk anymore. She is not helping.
If you even knew a little of Lady Gaga, you would know that she has strong support in the gay community. Which is why she is fighting for them here. It’s obvious the homosexuals that are serving are not pleased with the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.The thing is, you’re too ignorant to know these things which makes your opinion moot.
I love people who throw out the “you are too ignorant” comment or calls people names. It means you can’t handle other people’s opinion with a intelligent comeback. See the hypocrisy. You want others to be tolerant of somebody’s sexual orientation when you can’t be tolerant of someone else’s opinion.
@The Jackal- Anyone who thinks that gay people can choose their sexual orientation, earns the right to be called an idiot! No one should value your opinion. I’m done with you!
Show me the scientific evidence. It’s still debated by people a lot smarter than you and me. You’re done with me because you aren’t intelligent enough to have a civilized debate about it. I win.
The Jackal…the idea that you can “choose” your sexual preference is mainly supported by the Family Research Council and their branches…which was formed by Mr. George Alan Rekers. You know, the guy that was caught going on vacation with a male prostitute from Rent Boy. There is no legitimate scientific research that supports such a claim.
@Renn I really don’t care if she is for it or against it. My point is all you have to do is look at her picture and hear that she calls herself “Lady Gaga” to know that she is not someone who’s opinions make a lot of sense. So I simply don’t think her opinion helps that cause. In fact, I think it hurts it.
Watch “The Legend of the Seeker” Saturday’s on the UPN or WB I guess it is called now. Save our Seeker!
I saw Lady Gaga last night in Hartford. I applaud her efforts to support the rights of very talented and brave people who should not be discouraged to serve due to their sexual orientation. However, she spent WAY TOO Much time on the issue and disrupted “Speechless”!
You all are missing the point, I know that you are all for sticking up for gay people because you want to be seen as progressive, but are you going to be there with them when they are ridiculed or worse. No. You’ll just sit in the comfort of your home and post how mean everybody is.
How do you know that they’re going to be ridiculed or worse?
Ending DADT doesn’t mean that every gay/lesbian soldier is going to come out; it merely gives them the choice to do so. If they feel they will be ridiculed, then it’s their choice to keep quiet. At the same time, it protects from being discharged if their orientation does come out.
Furthermore, sticking up for gay people does not automatically mean someone wants to be seen as progressive. A lot of us genuinely believe gay people deserve the same rights, so stop making generalizations like that.
Because I am in the military and I know how some people are.
Hey, if I have no problem with gay people having the same rights, like getting married, but like I said, the military is a different culture.
Regardless whether you like Lady Gaga or not, you can’t deny that she has the media exposure. So isn’t it nice that for once, a celebrity is calling attention to a political/social cause, instead of to himself/herself?
Yeah, how naive is that statement. You really think this has nothing to do with her calling attention to herself?
She’s been talking about DADT for a *long* time… She’s even brought up the topic at events, such as the MTV VMAs and her own Monster Ball concerts, where the spotlight is on her to begin with.
So yeah, I’d say that the purpose of this video is to call attention to the cause.
But if you still think she’s a self-centered idiot, well, that’s your choice.
Oh, like she’s got a dearth of media exposure for her music and wild outfits. LOL! She doesn’t need to be doing the human rights work for attention, she’s got plenty going on without it.
FOR ONCE?! Celebrities do this ALL THE TIME! They have God-complexes and think people will mindlessly follow them. Most of us are intelligent enough to form opinions for ourselves and believe they should stick to singing, acting, whatever.
Just because they are performers means they can’t stand up for something they believe in? That’s bull. They are the best people to do so because people will listen to them. It’s not them having God-complexes. Look at Bono.
It’s easy to sit there and say you are for this or for that if you don’t have to live through it. I have seen guys in the military get ridiculed just based on people just thinking they are gay. Read CNN sometime, they had a big article on a pilot who was going through something like that.
We know that, but that doesn’t apply to every single part of the military. Just because you’ve seen the ridicule occur doesn’t mean that it would happen everywhere.
So those who do want to take the risk and come out should have the option of doing so. No one is forcing them out of the closet, but no one should legally force them to stay in the closet either.
Of course it would happen everywhere. Come on. Just because it’s wrong just doesn’t make those type of people disappear. Case in point, we had a meeting about it last week, about the possible lifting of DADT, some were against it and some didn’t care. One guy when he was speaking was “f**got this” or “f**got that” If it gets lifted those type of people don’t go away and it doesn’t become one big happy family.
^Refer to Martin’s comment.
I agree with Martin’s point, but I am telling you there are people who don’t agree, they don’t care.
Yes, I know there are people who don’t agree/don’t care. Ending DADT obviously will not affect their viewpoints, but for the gay soldiers who are not around people like that, they can have the option of being out.
Ending DADT may not change many parts of the military, and like you said, it will definitely not become one big happy family. But it’s a step in the right direction.
You keep saying “who are not around people like that” Those kinds of people are every where.
Everywhere? Well, I haven’t been everywhere, so I can’t say. But surely they can’t be the majority or the ones holding a lot of power everywhere you go.
I dislike Gaga, but I applaud her for using her celebrity for a selfless cause, something you see very little of from celebrities these days.
It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t end bigotry. It WILL end Vets getting their benefits taken from them after they have risked their lives for our country.
Once again, if they lift DADT, it doesn’t make those bigoted towards gays disappear. Just like there are still people who are racist.
Yes, but DADT gives them the legal justification to stay bigoted.
We are talking two different things here. I am not talking the politics of it and the good face the brass or the upper chain of command puts on, I am talking about behind the scenes, the ones who say f**got this or f**got that don’t care about the legal justification.
No, I understand they don’t care about legal justification, and I understand that lifting DADT may not really change anything at all. But I just don’t see any downside to ending DADT, since each gay soldier would have the option of being out or not. The soldier could decide for himself/herself based on the environment, and in some cases, it would be just like the status quo.
J, it was good discussing this with you, you didn’t have to resort to name calling like some people do, you stated your opinions with articulation and intelligence.
You too! It was good hearing the opinions of someone who’s actually in the military.
I mentioned it above, some people argue it will give a gay person the freedom to talk about there lives openly. I know for a fact that the majority of people don’t mind gays serving in the military but the do not want to talk about it or hear about it.
But isn’t that inherently unfair? I mean, a straight soldier can say stuff like “So I was in this bar and making out with this hot drunk chick, and then…” all day long, but a lesbian soldier can’t even say “I went to the movies with my partner, but it was a really bad movie.” That’s inherently unfair to any gay and lesbian soldiers who have partners, but can’t even mention them to their fellow soldiers. They have to effectively lie about their lives to stay a soldier, but lying is something that soldiers shouldn’t do.
Fact is, if this country was in danger, I wouldn’t question those who tried to save me/us about their sexuality (or anything else). I would just be grateful that their were citizens willing to risk their lives to protect me/us. Clearly, if homosexuals can serve for a decade before being discharged under DADT, then they have something many of us may not. A willingness to physically and mentally dedicate their lives to military service of their country. Unless everyone here posting comments is home on leave from their own service to this country, I’m not sure where you have room to judge those who do.
Woohoo, I get to judge since I am in the military. Look, I am arguing from the reality point of view, not the political correctness point of view. Guys talk about women all the time, “hey, you should have seen this blonde chick I picked up and brought back to my place on Friday, she had some huge t*ts”
Insert guy for chick, he for she, and c*ck for t*ts, I’m telling you, that would not go over well.
I say we bargain. We’ll end DADT if gays stop with the gay pride parades. What’s the point of those parades? With some of those costumes or lack thereof, I would be offended if it was a heterosexual parade, just because they’re gay gives them the right to dress like that publicly?
There are gay pride parades for the same reason there is St. Patrick’s Day in America (it’s not a big deal in Ireland) and Black Heritage Month and Latino Heritage Month and so on and so forth. I agree that they should at least be legally clothed, but telling them to stop is wrong. We get rid of DADT and gay people have to dress appropriately in these parades?
Because they know you secretly get off on it. Otherwise, what are you doing on that street corner on Pride day?