Lesbian General Appointed!

[JackLuis]

Army names first openly lesbian general

Army officer Tammy S. Smith, 49, became the first openly lesbian military general in U.S. history on Sunday after the Army promoted her to the rank of Brigadier General.

 

[topace]

This is relevant to writing how?

Unless you are suggesting this is a good plot bunny...

 

[Stella_Omega]

A good place for news pertaining to GLBT issues;
http://forum.literotica.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54

 

[TE999]

Army officer Tammy S. Smith, 49, became the first openly lesbian military general in U.S. history on Sunday after the Army promoted her to the rank of Brigadier General.

She was promoted due to her abilities; her sexual orientation is irrelevant. When the latter is no longer news, then true equality will have been achieved.

 

[mynameisben]

She was promoted due to her abilities; her sexual orientation is irrelevant. When the latter is no longer news, then true equality will have been achieved.

While I agree with your philosophy, the realist within tells me true equality is just so much pie in the sky. True equality only exists in mathematical abstract. To everyone else, it never happens. And why is this so? Because the news outlets are in the business of shaping perceptions and always will be.

Equality is boring. News outlets cannot sell copy if it's boring. It is their job to twist a boring story any which way they can to mold it into news. News editors make big bucks by striking chords and frazzling readers' nerves while meeting the agenda of their executive boards and sponsors. The more sensational or polarizing the spin a story has, the better.

You talk about relevance as if it were an absolute. But the truth is, relevance is in the eye of the beholder. A headline is of critical relevance to a media outlet. It is always chosen carefully and with purpose. Officer Tammy Smith Promoted to Army General is a headline that might draw a few dozen readers nationwide. Noble in its equanimity, it completely skirts the issue (or, I should say, the non-issue) of Smith's sexual orientation. But that's precisely why the headline fails. There is no money in writing and reporting to an enlightened few. So, the media carefully went with this headline instead: Army Names First Openly Lesbian General. "Lesbian General" wasn't deemed sensational enough. "Openly Lesbian," while imparting virtually nothing more, was perceived by the suits in charge to have a greater *gasp* factor. So they ran with it, while subliminally suggesting to millions of paying customers that a lesbian who openly admits she's a lesbian is more shocking than one who does not. Accurate and unbiased reporting be damned. It is far more profitable to entertain, scare, divide or incense the masses. Sales, ultimately, is what's relevant.

And so the news has a vested interest in distorting reality, in turning everything into a controversy, and in making damn sure that lesbians in the military and in everything else, never reach the boring and unsalable state of equality.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

No, that's now. In a few years the headline salesmen won't be able to get a rise out of anyone with a line like that and the fact that another woman is promoted to brigadier won't even reach page 35. After all, no one notices that a straight woman is promoted, outside of those in her immediate circle. No one notices that an Asian, an African-American, a Hispanic, etc., is promoted to brigadier. Heck, no one notices if some blue-eyed white guy gets promoted. When a lesbian can get promoted and not reach the notice of the tabloid-istas, that's when equality will have happened.

It's not news if nobody cares, and soon . . . no body will.

Despite the current attempts by the Westboro Baptists and their bizarre ilk.

 

[SamScribble]

When I saw the caption ‘Lesbian General Appointed’, my mind headed off down the Attorney General, Witchfinder General track. And that was sort of interesting; I didn’t even realise that there was a Lesbian General. But then, when I saw that Ms Smith was a military general, I thought: So what? I assume that she had the necessary skills and attributes – otherwise she probably wouldn’t have been appointed.

In some ways, it’s a bit disappointing that we are even discussing it. We’re playing right into the headline writer’s hands. Let’s just be happy that Ms Smith’s talents and experience have been recognised.

Congratulations, Ma’am.

 

[oggbashan]

The British Army has had gay Generals for hundreds of years.

As for the Gay Gordons...

 

[desertslave]

It does make the idea of a military coup a bit more appealing, though.