gays in the army?

The military top brass has already said yes but are the rest of the troops ready? That remains to be seen.

This is actually a long delayed post about the statement release by the AFP spokesperson sometime in March this year indicating the AFP's willingness to accept gays and lesbians in the armed forces.

Personally, I think anybody who is willing to serve the country should be given the chance to do so regardless of their sexual orientation. Of course, they have to pass the rigorous trainings first.

But I think the real question here is, is the armed forces really ready? The machismo attitude is still strong in the armed forces and a lot of its members are still homophobic. A lot of people still think that the military is a man's world and there are those who still frown on the presence of women in the armed forces.

I think as long as hindi nila ipinapahiya ang AFP at hindi nasisira ang pangalan ng armed forces and as long as they are really there to be of service to the people, then so be it. Basta ba naman hindi lang sila magcross dress at maglalandi, bakit hindi sila bigyan ng chance? Besides, how sure are we na wala ngang bakla sa AFP?

But of course, the military's culture of discipline should still be maintained. The military is an institution governed by rules and discipline and I think it could remain as such despite this change.

I think the problem actually lies on the attitude of Filipinos, and not just soldiers, in general towards gays and lesbians. Though we pride ourselves for being highly educated and flexible in a lot of things, the Filipino culture remains conservative.

I could go on the whole day and rationalize on the issue but only one question nags my mind, are the Filipino soldiers ready for this change?