From Andrew Sullivan, responding to Rich Lowry’s claim that the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy isn’t a substantial burden on gays because, after all, “we all have aspects of our lives we don’t talk about”:
Rich says that it’s no big deal to live hiding one’s sexual orientation. If you’re straight, try it for one day.
Try never mentioning your spouse, your family, your home, your girlfriend or boyfriend to anyone you know or work with — just for one day. Take that photo off your desk at work, change the pronoun you use for your spouse to the opposite gender, guard everything you might say or do so that no one could know you’re straight, shut the door in your office if you have a personal conversation if it might come up.
Try it. Now imagine doing it for a lifetime. It’s crippling; it warps your mind; it destroys your self-esteem. These men and women are voluntarily risking their lives to defend us. And we are demanding they live lives like this in order to do so.
To be honest, it didn’t look to me like Lowry’s heart was really in this one. He didn’t even have the talking points down. Why not come out of the closet, Rich, and admit that you’re actually OK with repealing DADT?
