Comments on: Since Arabic specialists in the military are a dime a dozen… http://damnstraight.oversampled.net/2006/08/24/since-arabic-specialists-in-the-military-are-a-dime-a-dozen/ Culturally Queer News and Views from Abigail Garner Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:31:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Damn Straight » Blog Archive » Memorial Day Statement from SLDN http://damnstraight.oversampled.net/2006/08/24/since-arabic-specialists-in-the-military-are-a-dime-a-dozen/#comment-5894 Damn Straight » Blog Archive » Memorial Day Statement from SLDN Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:16:57 +0000 http://damnstraight.oversampled.net/?p=404#comment-5894 [...] Since Arabic specialists in the military are a dime a dozen… [...] [...] Since Arabic specialists in the military are a dime a dozen… [...]

]]> By: Michele Davis http://damnstraight.oversampled.net/2006/08/24/since-arabic-specialists-in-the-military-are-a-dime-a-dozen/#comment-941 Michele Davis Thu, 31 Aug 2006 21:19:33 +0000 http://damnstraight.oversampled.net/?p=404#comment-941 This is an interesting post. My husband and I discussed it. He feels that if he it's expected of a heterosexual man (in this case, him) to be openly homophobic and if he isn't that somehow means he is either gay or bi-sexual. He dislikes watching sports, but he's the geek chained to his computer by choice--by the love of computers, processors and operating systems and their flaws. In High School, because he didn't date, he was openly harrassed about his sexuality. This disturbs me as a woman on many levels. Just because your interests don't involve sports, or what's "defined" as being male doesn't mean you're not heterosexual. And hey, what about my gay friend who loves NASCAR? Hetero's at his work automatically assume he's hetero too because he likes NASCAR. Snort. This is an interesting post. My husband and I discussed it. He feels that if he it’s expected of a heterosexual man (in this case, him) to be openly homophobic and if he isn’t that somehow means he is either gay or bi-sexual. He dislikes watching sports, but he’s the geek chained to his computer by choice–by the love of computers, processors and operating systems and their flaws. In High School, because he didn’t date, he was openly harrassed about his sexuality.

This disturbs me as a woman on many levels. Just because your interests don’t involve sports, or what’s “defined” as being male doesn’t mean you’re not heterosexual.

And hey, what about my gay friend who loves NASCAR? Hetero’s at his work automatically assume he’s hetero too because he likes NASCAR. Snort.

]]> By: Jade Catherine http://damnstraight.oversampled.net/2006/08/24/since-arabic-specialists-in-the-military-are-a-dime-a-dozen/#comment-937 Jade Catherine Fri, 25 Aug 2006 13:56:42 +0000 http://damnstraight.oversampled.net/?p=404#comment-937 You know, I had a high-school friend who (1) became an Arabic translator in the Army, and (2) is gay (neither of us knew about the other back then, sad). Unfortunately, I've totally failed to find him since then; I think he's broken all connections to his hometown. But, every time I see this story, I wonder if he was one of the victims. Of course, the real victims are the soldiers who die because keeping our army's heterosexuality pure is more important than having soldiers who understand the language of the place they're fighting in. Better dead than comerade to a homo, after all. You know, I had a high-school friend who (1) became an Arabic translator in the Army, and (2) is gay (neither of us knew about the other back then, sad).

Unfortunately, I’ve totally failed to find him since then; I think he’s broken all connections to his hometown. But, every time I see this story, I wonder if he was one of the victims.

Of course, the real victims are the soldiers who die because keeping our army’s heterosexuality pure is more important than having soldiers who understand the language of the place they’re fighting in. Better dead than comerade to a homo, after all.

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