IM GAY CAN I JOIN xxx

[joe]

The chances are you will have served with someone who is gay. Interesting thought (did you realise?). The discussion around relationships in the Forces is obviously a valid one; decisions should not be made on the basis of if someones loved one is in danger. This is why (as I understand it) the military will not allow relationships between two people (straight or not) who are serving in the same unit.

[BenChug]

On Stickys note about the mother in law

What is mixed emotions??
watching your mother in law drive off a cliff..
in your new car. Ooo.

On the note of girls in the army, I wouldn't worry so much about that as seeing chicks don't nessisarily have to go on the rag these days with all the pills and chemicals running around. However the Israelis have been the only country to put them in combat arms during actual combat (besides pilots I believe,) and they found

A) When women were killed in combat the surrounding men often went crazy and would often kill surrendering arabs.
B) Medics would spend more time attempting to save a mortally wounded female, and would often lose a man who could have been saved and have 2 troops down, not just the one.
C) Arabs were extremely reluctant to surrender to female soldiers.

I believe women shouldn't be allowed to serve in the claw and teeth for those reasons, specifically not Infantry units. I have found allowing women in the combat arms has lowered the physical fitness standards. Even if they pass these lowered numbers it creates a double standard.

I personally don't have anything against gays serving, what you do in your own time is your business (mind you not really in the army.) I just don't want to know about and should it be discovered alot of the time it should be known the guys will just take the piss out of him and regardless of his service record will have problems working with him.

On that note a quick quote.

"When I am sitting in the trenches I want to be worrying about the man infront of me not the one behind me."
- Some US general

I am not sure exactly what James (future para) wrote but it is his opinion and should be allowed to stay with the exception of him A) No need for a sh*tload of swearing and B) should at least look at the other half of the arguement presented, if not consider the points presented.

[Rugee]

Well James looks like you've done yourself proud mate. You made a complete arse of yourself!! By the sounds of it you'll fit in fine with the para stigma and culture.
I'd love people like you to come down to Plymouth or CTC and start shooting your mouth off, see how long it takes for the ambulance to arrive eh.

As i was told by an ex bootneck, every member of the Army, Raf etc is just a Royal Marine wannabe who never made the grade.

[kwew]

on the subject of women in the army, fair enough but(and theres always a but) i believe they should have to do exactly the same as the men with regards to training.
for example:on arrival at RMAS
MALE 44 press-ups
2.4km under 10min 30

FEMALE 21 press-ups
2.4km in under 13mins

i just believe that if women want equality, which they deserve no disputing that, they should have to do the same.
its only fair.

[Proud Salopian]

Women are built differently to men so we can't be expected to take part in the same fitness tests as men when we join the Armed forces. We are not as strong, that is a fact.

[kwew]

i accept that point, but why is it they get the same rank and pay when a man has to do more than a women to earn that rank and pay. it seems in a way sexist, its discrimination because of your gender. Its not as if women arent capable of training to the same standards of men, there are loads of women athletes a lot fitter than.

why should i have to do more than you to do the same job?

[harry hackedoff]

I`m not a beefer, I just help them out when they`re busy. Ask Owdun
I couldn`t give a fark about beefers. I don`t feel threatened. One of the hardest bastards I ever knew was gay. He was WO II and I won`t mention the SQ.

gay people as well as black people have the right to join the Army,

That`s a relief then. Some of my best friends are straight white guys.
If a guy( or girl, sorry Loz) can hack it, if they are a decent guy, if they are someone you can depend on, then that`s what counts.
It`s like being fat. Or Blonde. The individual often has little choice, and with Euro legislation it is illegal to discriminate on the grounds of a Person`s sexuality
Aye, Harry the pink (oooh, get her )

[harry hackedoff]

Should Mancunians be allowed to serve?
Probably not
Or Brummies

[voodoo sprout]

Regarding women in the forces including different standards, this has been ever so slightly discussed before, here for instance . That is for SF but the principles are largely the same. In any case, the majority of people here and it would seem elsewhere are in favour of equal standards.

THat said, I did laugh at the Royal Navy fitness program, not only do women have much lower fitness standards, but they're advised to do pressups with their knees on the ground .

[COMBAT WOMBAT]

AS for gay peolpe, fair enough, but don't go on about it. I would hope that you'ld be judged on the content of your character, so don't announce it to the whole world like u is trying to make a statement. Secondly, if women generally have to meet lower fitness standards, does that mean the get an easier time of it in the field? If a certain fitness level is required for your job, then that's it, the battlefield unlike other workplaces is not so easy to change to make allowences for diffferent people

[Proud Salopian]

There are many medical reasons why women can't do certain exercises the way men do them. For example, when women do a lot of press ups it is advisable to keep their knees on the floor because it has something to with the pelvis taking too much strain which i suppose could have an affect on a woman in childbirth. I do agree to some extent that men should get paid more but after the fitness tests we all end up doing the same jobs anyway working for a common cause. It must be annoying to see us girls having to do less when it comes to fitness tests but we all work together to do a good job. Besides, if there weren't any women in the forces who would you take the p**s out of?

[kwew]

Should Mancunians be allowed to serve?
Probably not
Or Brummies


harry your damn right, i live just outside birmingham and i know a lot of brummies, my best mate for instance,what a plonka

[Whitey]

The whole being gay and wanting to be in the military always bewildered me. Why would someone want to belong to an organization that along with its members doesn't want them?

I'm god awful white, therefore being in the NAACP doesn't make much sense for me. Same as gays, why want to be part of something that doesn't want you?

We had a few in my last unit, it had to suck for them, they couldn't fit in, they were constantly worried about being found out and we made them feel unwelcome I'm sure at times with our comments and talk of women.

I don't know your policy overthere on this, but we say, don't ask don't tell. Doesn't work though, as you guys know, you end up knowing your platoon mates better than yourself.