Yuma Mayor Doesn't Want 'Limp-Wristed, Lacey-Drawed' Men in the Military


Yuma Mayor Doesn't Want 'Limp-Wristed, Lacey-Drawed' Men in the Military

Yuma Mayor Doesn't Want 'Limp-Wristed, Lacey-Drawed' Men in the Military
You would think that a Memorial Day service would be a time when people would put aside their feelings about gay service members and the repeal of the military's ban on openly gay service personnel, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), and simply honor all veterans, regardless of their sexuality. You certainly wouldn't expect to hear the phrase "limp-wristed" being thrown around.

But Al Krieger, mayor of Yuma, Arizona, chose to take time out of his speech at a Memorial Day service at the Desert Lawn Cemetery, to wax lyrical on his belief that there is a certain "embarrassment" and "shame" surrounding the U.S. military today, especially that a man could face "ruination" of his career "for slapping an enemy". It was one specific comment, however, that LGBT rights groups found objectionable:



You can view the news report in its entirety here and you can listen toKrieger's full 13 minute speech here (the comment in question comes at around the 5:45 mark) but just to reiterate that, he said:

“I cannot believe that a bunch of limp-wristed, lacey-drawed people could do what those men have done in the past.” 
And as you heard above, Krieger has now defended his remarks thus:
“I’m reluctant to compare myself to George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, but I did get some feedback... and I don’t think I said anything different on what they would have said.”
“We need solid, strong men, not pacifists, to fight those battles.”
The lazy anti-gay and anti-trans statements at work here speak for themselves, as does the utter falsehood in the inference that LGBT people are weak or incapable of proper military service, a sentiment that is also completely unbecoming of a former military man like Krieger. But just to drive home that point, gay Marine veteran Eric Alva has responded to Krieger's speech this week, writing for the Human Rights Campaign:
These hateful words are absolutely inconsistent with the unbending physical and mental courage that I encountered among all of the men and women with whom I served, whether gay or straight. Many members in my unit knew I was gay — and this simple truth never once came in the way of our ability to do our job. It didn’t stop Navy corpsman Brian Alaniz from heroically coming to my aid after I stepped on a landmine, earning me the dubious distinction of being the first casualty in the Iraq War. Minutes later, he would become the second casualty of the war. Since then, we have stood by each other — literally — as we learned to walk again with our new prosthetic legs.
Because of my injuries, my wrist might not be as strong as it once was, but my fidelity to this country and its founding ideals has never once wavered. Gay and lesbian service members have always fought to defend this country — soon, we will be able to do so as equals. On the next Memorial Day, I ask Al Krieger to remember our sacrifices, too.
Sadly, Krieger's show of anti-LGBT feeling wasn't the only bit of homophobia to surface this week where the DADT repeal is concerned.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Ike Skelton, a conservative Missouri Democrat, said at the beginning of the week that he didn't want to repeal DADT because he was afraid that it might cause families to have to talk about homosexuality, and, specifically, that parents might have to tell their kids about it. This DADT edition of the "Won't Someone Think of the Children" hand-wringing shouldn't be that surprising though.

Last month the House voted 234-194 to overturn the legislative component to the military gay ban. Skelton was among the 26 Democrats who joined 168 Republicans to oppose the measure. He later told reporters that "my biggest concern are the families." I am forced to ask where is Skelton's concern for the gay and lesbian service members who can't have partners or families without the risk of being discharged from the military for no other reason than their sexuality? This is a convenient oversight.

Regardless, political commentator Rachel Maddow took time to properly lampoon Skelton for his remarks in her Wednesday night show:


Meanwhile, Senator John McCain is working hard to rally opposition so that he can sink the repeal effort when the legislation comes up for debate in the Senate in the coming months, peddling the misinformation that a repeal of DADT would impact military effectiveness, readiness and unit cohesion, in spite of the fact that gay and lesbian people continue to serve in the military today without detriment.

McCain had previously said he would follow whatever action military leaders chose to take concerning the open service ban but has since reneged on that promise after Admiral Mike Mullen and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced earlier this year that they would be starting the process toward repeal. 

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