by Shannon Togawa Mercer
On January 28, FOXnews.com chose to tackle the “war against terror” and sexual identity in one fell swoop. Great.
The article is chock-full of lines like:
“If U.S. troops and diplomats didn’t have enough to worry about in trying to understand Afghan culture, a new report suggests an entire region in the country is coping with a sexual identity crisis.”
“Though U.S. troops are commonly taught in training for Afghanistan that the ‘effeminate characteristics’ of Pashtun men are ‘normal’ and not an indicator of homosexuality…”
“…U.S. forces should not dismiss the unique version of homosexuality that is actually practiced in the region out of desire to avoid western discomfort.”
So the story is this: A military research unit in Southern Afghanistan reports that homosexual behavior, and subsequent denial of homosexual behavior, is common to men of the Pashtun ethnic group. While Islam forbids homosexuality, extant homosexual behavior is justified by its exclusively sexual nature. As long as men aren’t having “feelings” for each other, they can pursue sexual gratification.
It seems that the military is dealing with sexual identity issues on multiple fronts. With the repeal of “Don’t ask don’t tell” on the horizon, the military better learn to “cope” with homosexuality in occupied countries before it can handle open homosexuality in its own ranks (in the face of John McCain’s objections: “Has [don’t ask don’t tell] been ideal? No, it has not. But it has been effective”)
If Don’t ask, don’t tell is repealed, this change must be marked with equity of treatment for all homosexual individuals affected by military policy. I’m talking about a change of language alongside a change of attitude. I can’t make assumptions about where the classification of behavior as “normal” and “abnormal” comes from in this article, but if it’s derived from the official report (and not suspect reporting on the part of Fox), the military’s first step needs to be the elimination of Western cultural imposition. Instead of labeling homosexual behavior as “abnormal” in official documents, these military funded anthropological studies have to be objective (and devoid of the normative).
This is just the tip of the iceberg. I actually applaud the U.S. military for studying enough of Pashtu culture to take notice of sexual orientations and norms. The U.S. military is doing something impressive in working to understand the people it is purportedly trying to help. Understanding Pashtun homosexual tendencies has many applications in the growing healthcare infrastructure of Afghanistan, one example being the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. We’ll see if this approach helps the U.S. in its efforts to rebuild Afghanistan.
And now, personal venting time:
What struck me was the small bit about an army medic who had to explain “to a local man how to get his wife pregnant”. Apparently, when the process of reproduction was explained to the man he reacted “with disgust” and questioned how anyone could be attracted to a woman. First off, to you, Fox News, if you want to make moral judgments, try to avoid using science to push your conservative agenda. While this story of this Pashtu man (being of a “unique Afghani homosexual persuasion”) is unusual enough to report on, I can assure you that the “epidemic” is not rendering Afghan populations incapable of sexual reproduction. This is not a survival of the species crisis, it’s just a quirky story. Deal with it.
Also:
On a slightly unrelated topic, the Student Global AIDS Campaign is hosting it’s 2nd annual Condom Gram sale in Frist Campus Center. The organization will be tabling all week on the 100 level. Come and get your Condom Grams in time for Valentine’s Day!
