Peace Facts

compiled by Lisa Ann Pierce, WAMM

Homophobia, Sexism, Classism, and Racism in the Military

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) reports record high anti-gay harassment in the military during 2001, identifying 1,075 incidents of harassment, 871 more than in 2000 (www.sldn.org).

n 2001, "the Pentagon fired a record 1250 men and women . . . for being lesbian, gay or bisexual. The figure is the highest number of gay discharges since 1987, seven years prior to the implementation of the Pentagon's current anti-gay policy, known as 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'" (SLDN).

In 2001, women faced discharge under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" at an alarming rate. "While women comprise approximately 14% of the total force strength, 30% of gay discharges were women. Most alarming is the information SLDN has received that 43% of the Air Force's 191 gay discharges were women" (SLDN).

"In a Department of Defense survey released in 1996, 55% of women surveyed said they had been sexually harassed within the last year. (The survey was distributed between February and September of 1995)" (Youth & Militarism Online, www.afsc.org/youthmil/).

"Nearly one in ten Army and Marine women said that they had been sexually assaulted in the past year" when responding to a survey distributed in 1995 (Youth & Militarism Online).

"It's a form of economic discrimination, sometimes called economic conscription or an economic draft, that forces lower income people into the military in order to earn a living, try to learn a trade or get money for their education. The American Council on Education even attributes a drop in black college enrollment to more aggressive military recruiting in the eighties" (Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, www.obector.org).

A study of JROTC curriculum revealed multiple examples of bigotry in textbooks. One example: "One must be aware of cultural differences between peoples. For instance, Americans generally place a high value on human life. This may not necessarily be the case in other cultures or countries that might be willing to gamble lives for political or economic gains, for example certain of the terrorist-sponsoring nations of the Middle East." Naval Science 4, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD 1990 (4th year NJROTC), p. 141 (CCCO).