- Former Rep. Duncan Hunter
Former Rep. Duncan Hunter was interviewed by NPR. The intro to the interview is wrong. Hunter did not serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, as Melissa Block said in the intro. He served in Congress from 1981 to 2009.
That’s kind of an important little detail. It makes it sound like he has current military experience that other members of Congress do not.
However, he did serve in Vietnam in 1970-71. (Don’t worry. His district is now ably represented by his son, Duncan D. Hunter). During the Vietnam War, there was a draft and being gay was not a reason to get a deferment. I know. I tried. It was a reason to be drafted, get the most dangerous assignment in Vietnam, and if you came back alive, get a dishonorable discharge.
Here are some of Hunter’s arguments against allowing gays and lesbians to serve:
And I think the folks who have been in the military that have been in these very close situations with each other, there has to be a special bond there. And I think that bond is broken if you open up the military to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians.
When you are out of arguments, you lump everyone together. He left out pedophiles, necrophiliacs and people who want to marry animals.
Its going to be like civilian life and the I think that that would be detrimental for the military.
Because gays in the military means opening gay bars on army bases.
… how you go into combat, you know, the shower situation, the bathroom situation, just, you know, very mundane details – things that we have men and women separated, you know, because we dont want to have that sexual distraction. That exists for the homosexual aspect of things, too.
Maybe a psychological test should be given to people entering the military and those who are obsessed with bathrooms and showers should be excluded, not gays and lesbians who are more concerned with defending the country.
It’s like if you want to work for NPR, you don’t go to work and on the first day say, hey, I want everybody to know that I’m gay. You probably dont care one way or the other as long as they, you know, get their particular job done.
HUH? Is he concerned that NPR reporters are showering together or did he just say that it DOESN’T MATTER what someone’s sexual orientation is as long as “they, you know, get their particular job done” ?????
And I’ll bet when one certain lesbian who now works at the Dallas Voice was at the local, comparatively conservative KERA, everyone knew she was a big ole you-know-what from day one.
But he goes by the assumption that you wouldn’t come at a job on the first day. Most gays or lesbians in the military wouldn’t either. But on the job, you sometimes have to come out pretty quickly – at least to Human Resources – to get a partner on your insurance or to name an insurance beneficiary or just to list a contact. Although I don’t always come out on first meeting, when someone tells me about his or her spouse, I tell them about mine.
You know, I think if I was in combat and having bullets flying over my head and bombs exploding all around me I hope that I would have the good sense to be thinking about things other than how hot the guy next to me looks in camo.
Seriously though, I don’t know how these people aren’t embarrassed by the silly BS that they keep regurgitating about these exotic homosexuals they’ve heard about. I could understand if it was 1960 but we’re in the 2010’s now, most straight people should know by now that most gays and lesbians are perfectly capable of getting through a day at work without raping or molesting their fellow co-workers.
Why is it always old white guys with bad dye jobs so afraid of the gays?
Uh, feller, you might want to get off your high horse here. The NPR interview was with Duncan D. Hunter, not the now retired father Duncan L. Hunter. And yes, Duncan D served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
@AJ: I’m staying on my horse. His statements are equally stupid as if his father had made them and he’s no more qualified to serve – in the army or in Congress. While I don’t excuse bigotry or stupidity from anyone, it always amazes me when a younger person is so narrow-minded. But having grown up in that family, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
Another thing I noticed; Duncan seems to believe that being a hermaphrodite is not only abhorrent but a lifestyle choice. WTF?
The last thing the military or corporations should be worried about is a person’s sexual identity or orientation. I come out during the interview process. If an employer has a problem with LGBT, it’s not a place I want to work. I worked three days at Sun Microsystems. Gay people are great employees who make for a more interesting and pretty workplace. I know we can do the same thing on the battlefield without all the white homophobic scare tactics.
Wrong Duncan Hunter. Duncan Hunter Sr would have more decency than to say these things.
David, I agree with your intent (pointing out a homophobic idiot) but the first three paragraphs are apparently just plain wrong. It’s unbecoming to point out another media outlet’s “mistake” without owning up to, or correcting your own.
Absolutely, Brian. I was standing by my criticism the bigotry of the comments and should have said, this interview was, indeed, by the current bigot holding the seat, not the father (not clear from the notes in the interview because no initials were used, but should have been obvious by the reference to which wars he served in). I implied correction (or meant to), but didn’t clearly correct and was really responding to the “get off my high horse” comment. I’d simply go back and correct it in the story, but then anyone reading the comments won’t know what we’re talking about.
So, corrected, should read: Bigot currently in Congress who served with lots of gay and lesbian servicemen, spent his time trolling the showers and toilets when he should have been defending our country along with the gay and lesbian soldiers who are threatened by enemy forces as well as bigots within the army and Congress.
Thanks for pointing out. Didn’t mean to ignore the correction. And to our corrector: I remain on horse. No tolerance for bigotry. And as Bob points out, the father, who ran for the Republican nomination for president last year, wouldn’t have made such such stupid comments.
Thank you David. I have enjoyed your articles and blog postings for a long time and just wanted to make sure that clarification was made. Also, I’d like to point out that in hearing and reading that story on NPR it was unclear to me that it was about Homophobe junior, not senior. Perhaps I should chastise NPR for not clarifying this.
And as I’ve said many times on various blogs (including this one, I think) over the last few weeks. If you served in the military and don’t think that you have already showered with a homosexual, you are sadly mistaken. Period. Get over yourselves and move on.
Brian – OK, in NPR’s defense, it was only an initial that was left out. I know I go off on rants and raves sometimes and Tammye appreciates when readers like you reign me in – especially on production day when she’s busy editing (or doing whatever it is that she does).
Yes it was only an initial, but in this case that initial was important. They should have realized that it could have caused confusion and taken care of it from the start. Likewise, a little digging on your part and you might have figured it out. Oh well, done and done.
And don’t stop rants and raves on account of me. I enjoy them. But I am ever watchful! 🙂