Gay Discharge Hurts National Security
KB: There were 770 people discharged this year for homosexuality. How does this benefit our country?
MHK: Absolutely none. We spend tons of money, many of those people may have been officers, with $150,000 to $200,000 in training and then we kick them out because they’re no longer a valuable person because they’re gay? It’s absolutely ridiculous! We spend all this money training these folks, many of them go through advance training and then they go to training beyond that.
But because the general public sees the small amount of people that are kicked out, they don’t see the majority of people that are gay who go through their enlistment, take care of business and then they get out. We don’t know about those folks.
KB: Since 1994, 10,000 military personnel have been discharged. This is including linguists, nuclear warfare experts, and other key specialists.
MHK: And that’s the other thing. A lot of gay people go into those units that require special clearance. They are used to being under cover. The linguists schools are very difficult and very long. They send them to a lot of different places.
KB: What advice would you give a gay or lesbian young person thinking of entering the military?
MHK: I’ve always felt that if you are a young person and you’re not sure what you want to do, the military is a good option. Once you’re there and you serve your time, you can get medical benefits, you can get school loans. You get a chance to meet a lot of different people. You get to travel. Yes, they have to go to hot zones. I’ve always felt that the military is a good option. But, if you’re gay, you have to understand that there’s something you’re going to have to give up. If you’re willing to play it smart, you can still get all of these things.
KB: What things are you going to have to give up?
MHK: You’re going to have to give up your lifestyle as you know it. You have to be careful where you go. You have to be careful of stuff you have lying around. You obviously can’t have a picture of your lover sitting on your desk. You have to be careful. If you are willing to do that, then there are benefits to be had.
