Fox News doesn’t want you to know that the result of lesbian & gay soldiers serving openly in other countries is… business as usual. That’s according to Generals from allied militaries, who say that gay troops do not undermine combat effectiveness. Here’s The Palm Center’s 30-second advertisement that Fox News refuses to run.
Voiceover: As the millitary prepares to end “don’t ask, don’t tell”, our NATO allies have told us what to expect… Business as usual.
Major General Semianiw: “There is no negative impact of having men and women of any sexual orientation fighting together, be it in Afghanistan, be it in Iraq.”
Major General Simon VL Willis (ret): “The lifting of the homosexual ban was a bit like Y2K. It was a non-event, and it continues to be a non-event.”
Palm Center Director Aaron Belkin stated: “I am surprised that Fox News would reject an ad featuring allied Generals, given that host Bill O’Reilly and guest contributor Liz Cheney have both expressed support for open gay service. This is an important time for input from all sides on this issue, and I hope Fox will reconsider.”
From the Palm Center press release:
The ad includes video clips made in May 2010 featuring Major General Walter Semianiw, Chief of Military Personnel in the Canadian Forces, and Major General Simon Willis (retired), former Head of Defence Personnel in the Australian Defence Force. Major General Semianiw has since been promoted to Lieutenant General and leads Canada Command. …
According to Central Command’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAT) fact sheet, there are more than 1,400 Australian troops and 2,800 Canadian forces fighting alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
“We have reached out to other cable news outlets and still fully intend to air this ad,” stated Christopher Neff, Deputy Executive Director of the Palm Center.
