Being gay in USAFA

[DevilDog]

I assume you're talking about the young man who was homophobic?
I was speaking to the OP. The young man to whom you were referring is most likely not even reading this. Nothing I say on this forum will change his mind. You can only hope that his time at the Academy has taught him to treat everyone fairly, regardless of his own personal beliefs. You will not get everyone to agree 100% of the time on everything. I've worked on too many committees to be that naive.

You are right. also, I did not realize you were referring to the OP.

 

[USAFA83GradWife]

You are right. also, I did not realize you were referring to the OP.

 

[#armystrong]

Political correctness is on the rise at USAFA, so don't worry. There's plenty of homosexual females, actually.

Too bad that political correctness is a joke. It's a term used by the left in order to suppress the opinion(s) of someone in regards to a certain topic. It was intended for social tact, but now it altogether eliminates certain conversations in the name of harming or hurting someone's feelings. Isn't college meant to promote discussion? But then again, it does not surprise me with the increasingly liberal shift in colleges.

 

[aglages]

Too bad that political correctness is a joke. It's a term used by the left in order to suppress the opinion(s) of someone in regards to a certain topic. It was intended for social tact, but now it altogether eliminates certain conversations in the name of harming or hurting someone's feelings. Isn't college meant to promote discussion? But then again, it does not surprise me with the increasingly liberal shift in colleges.

I'm not sure your post will be considered politically correct.

 

[hornetguy]

I have no idea where in the world political correctness is coming into this. It bears no relation to the topic.

The DoD has made its policy clear: you will not discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation. Or gender. Or race. Or religion. or national origin. That includes harassment and command climate. I give you two the benefit of the doubt since one has a year of WP under his belt and the other has yet to be in the military. Command climate is very important and taken seriously. Commanders who place their personal life in front of their professional conduct can create a hostile work environment. Then, was a promotion from favoritism? Was a denied opportunity because of ability or perceived injustice? You may think that its the fault of the aggrieved for being "too sensitive" but plenty of instances, especially at USAFA (circa 2005), undue influence was favoring one group of people.

Every time I've listened to my Wing, Group, and Squadron commanders speak (publicly and in private), I couldn't tell you anything about their religious views, personal politics, or otherwise. They never interject those things and their attitude always makes me feel as though the job is #1, my abilities are what define me, and nothing else is relevant. That's a professional and a leader.

I hope as you grow up and grow more in the military, these things will make more sense to you and you can understand the need to keep the professional environment a welcoming place for all. And that requires a level of personal sacrifice from everyone involved in keeping their mouths shut when the topic is irrelevant to the job and can create an unprofessional situation.

Now, if that is just too much to handle, I'll let you in on a secret. The policies are not going to change anytime soon and you have yet to be locked into the military. You don't have to abide by those policies if they are too restricting for your personal enjoyment and you are still able to walk out the door.

 

[aglages]

Every time I've listened to my Wing, Group, and Squadron commanders speak (publicly and in private), I couldn't tell you anything about their religious views, personal politics, or otherwise. They never interject those things and their attitude always makes me feel as though the job is #1, my abilities are what define me, and nothing else is relevant. That's a professional and a leader.

 

[FlyBoy1993]

You can always report anything. If a cadre is discriminatory towards you, you should address your chain of command. They will probably be removed from BCT or the Academy. This not tolerated at the Air Force Academy. Last year a Cadre was booted from USAFA for unprofessional speech/conduct during BCT. We take this very seriously.

"They hate me because I'm gay."

" No, they hate you because you won't work through anything and report everyone at the drop of a hat."