Dignity & Respcet: Comic Book Style

[eumelia]

Wow, the US Military Machine is a Paranoid entity.

Seriously? This?!?!



Generally speaking, I don't have a lot of good to say about the military, the IDF being a prome target of my criticism regarding militarism, fascist mentality and conservative notions of gender and sexuality.

And of course, general critique of war and the social order.

But one thing I have to hand to the IDF, they are good when it comes to formal rights of LGB people in the service (Trans people, as far as I am aware, should they be out and in transition are not drafted under a medical clause). There's the general misogyny and homophobia which can a bit over board in such a machismo centric system, but formally, your rights as an LGB individual are protected in the service to my country.

Or something.

It's been so since 1993 (yeah, the same year the US Army's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was instated) - in which sexual orientation was removed as a risk factor regarding posts of a sensitive nature, same sex partners are awarded the same benefits as opposite sex partners and soldiers are even allowed to participate in Pride (privately, of course... not so much in uniform).

Back to that comic after than long and convoluted aside.

What the fuck?! Really?

What is this fear? I really don't, don't understand it. I mean, I do, obviously, being a functioning member of society that imbibes homophobia, sexism and other forms of bigotry on a daily basis, what I don't understand it the reason for it to be so terrifying.

I've read the theory. I can explain how this terror works. Power, pleasure, privilege and Othering.

Intellectually, I know. I do not understand, how, rather than attempt to treat people as though they were created equal by virtue of being born - someone would rather write a policy entrenching inequality and disfranchisement into a system in which hierarchy in already compounded by power, pleasure, privilege and dehumanisation.

Who had that bright idea?

Comments

[torachan]

The stupidest thing about the US military freakouts is that it's not like repealing DADT will magically make gay people appear in the military. They are already there. I just don't get how knowing who is gay is going to change things so drastically.

It's just bizarre.

[eumelia]

The irony of this comic book is just anvilicious, you know. Dignity & Respect?! WHAT?!

Just... so boggling.

But hey, that's a very diverse cast right there.

[amethystfirefly]

Well, the really sad thing is that I'm sure a lot of people who serve already know who is gay.

[torachan]

Yeah, exactly. The freakout often seems to be coming more from people who aren't even in the military. It's like weirdo homophobic concern trolling.

[amethystfirefly]

It's like weirdo homophobic concern trolling.

Ugh, yeah. -sighs-

I sometimes want to ask my two brothers what their opinion is on gays in the military. (They're both in the Army.) But I'm a bit afraid to because I know that if they start spouting homophobic shit, they completely fail to register that their sister is ONE OF THEM PEOPLE.

I'd like to say I have faith in them to go "Eh, no big deal as long as they can do their own damn job" but well... You know how it is.

[amethystfirefly]

The only thing I can think of is the... overemphasis on people being "macho" in the military.

It's very, very frustrating. Because LGB people are already there.

[amadi]

Trans people are there too, just not at all out or working on transitioning in any way.

[amethystfirefly]

Very true.

[ironed_orchid]

I really like who the people on the cover are paired up into boy/girl couples.

And by "like", I mean I want to punch whoever came up with that design.

[eumelia]

But look at all that racial and gender (binary) diversity! That's... something...

*groan*

[silveradept]

That bright idea are the moralizing [1000Hz] [REDACTED] [NOTHING TO SEE HERE, CITIZEN] politicians who think because their personal religious leader says LGBT people are icky sinners who deserve to burn in hell for their rebellion against God or be forcibly converted back to the "natural" order of things through torture, then all people should fall under that rule. And since there are enough people whose religious leaders are that devoid of the message their religion is trying to get to them, then they put it into law by banning The Gay in their ultra-macho military area. Only a few years earlier, they had kept the women out, too.