The Military Is Everywhere

The military has been popping up everywhere for me this week.

After spending a good chunk of class last night discussing the politics of death and burial (the discussion about religion and sexuality veered slightly off course), this morning I stumble across this article about a widow of a Wiccan soldier who is suing to have a pentagram inscribed on her husband’s headstone. Apparently, although they do have over 30 religious symbols that they’ll inscribe, the pentacle isn’t one of them; in response, two wives and two Wiccan churches are suing.

One of the things that I thought was so interesting, and I always find interesting in articles about religion and the military, is how there’s no mention of how seemingly contradictory a Wiccan’s participation in the military could be. When I was active in the Phoenix pagan community (and, as a result, the larger online community) years ago, I remember furious debates whenever the subject was brought up, about how those people aren’t really Wiccan because no Wiccan would ever kill someone. I visited Witchvox to see if I could find anything about it there, and while I couldn’t find anything about the case, there was an essay posted Sunday essentially calling for Wiccan soldiers to stand up and be counted, because there’s “strength in numbers”. The piece, while short, could have some correlations to the movement to allow (well, recognize, I suppose) gays in the military - if gay soldiers decided to out themselves, might the military become a more affirming, progressive institution?

I know, it seems pretty laughable to think of the Army being life- and choice-affirming. The whole idea of gays (and, relatedly, Wiccans) pushing for more acceptance in the military reminds me of this article I read for class Monday night, “Lesbian Studies and Postmodern Queer Theory”, in which the author Harriet Malinowitz says that

Many have felt that the acceptance of lesbians and gays into the military would be an important political step, while others — particularly those affiliated with feminist and leftist politics — have disparaged that goal for its implicit endorsement of a reactionary institution (p. 264)

Okay, ignoring the fact that I just cited a reading on my blog (yes, academia has finally invaded every aspect of my life, even the most inane), it’s an interesting point, one that I think is still pretty taboo - criticizing those who purport to be fighting for “gay rights” because the rights that they’ll acquire will allow them to oppress others (she also talks about this in relation to marriage, another interesting argument). So this brought me back to the idea of Wicca and the military, and how - while asking for the right to fight and the right to have one’s death properly recognized are very different things - there needs to be more questioning of this whole idea of everyone being welcomed into military service.

Would it really be so great for the military to embrace everyone? And why are we - gays, pagans, anyone else - fighting to be able to support an institution which, in the end, oppresses and dehumanizes others?