[News] Linda Burnham: Sexual Domination in Uniform

Wed May 19 08:42:12 EDT 2004

SEXUAL DOMINATION IN UNIFORM: AN AMERICAN VALUE
By Linda Burnham*

The Abu Ghraib portraits of sexual humiliation and submission have exposed 
the unbelievably tangled strands of racism, misogyny, homophobia, national 
arrogance and hyper-masculinity that characterize the U.S. military. 
Militarized sexual domination is neither "contrary to American values" nor 
simply the work of a few "bad apples." It is, rather, a daily practice.

The "bad apples" defense is both unspeakably inadequate and completely 
disingenuous.

While narrowing the scope of inquiry to individual transgression may 
provide a convenient protective shield for the military, it also deflects 
attention away from very troubling realities. The photos of Abu Ghraib 
reveal as much about our nation as they do about the soldiers of the 372nd 
Military Police Company.

As our president made clear, the intent of the invasion and occupation of 
Iraq was to bring the Iraqi opposition to its knees. Why then the surprise 
that soldiers would be thrilled to comply so literally? The scenario in 
which an Iraqi man kneels with the penis of another in or near his mouth 
shocked us all. But our leaders' call for the naked humiliation of Arabs 
and Muslims was not so muted that only a few stray soldiers heard.

Iraqi prisoners made to wear women's underwear. Those who battled for 
women's equal right to serve should take heed. Degradation and weakness are 
still equated with the female in this man's army.

Much has been made of the role of Private Lynndie England, the thumbs-up 
girl of prisoner abuse. Her culpability seems manifest and, back on home 
turf, England will have to fight for her soul the best way she knows how.

But England is the second cover girl for the Iraq installment of the U.S. 
military's sexual integration story. Jessica Lynch was the first. Two 
fresh-faced, working-class, small-town girls eager to escape the 
limitations of location and station. Escape they did, into the welcoming 
arms of an institution that used one to rally the nation, spinning a 
narrative of the endangered but plucky female, rescued from the dark 
barbarian hordes. It will use the other as sacrifice to assuage the 
anxieties of a troubled nation.

In her role as dominatrix over Iraqi men England exposed the sexualization 
of national conquest. As a participant in the militarized construction of 
the masculine she inaugurated a brand new, frightening archetype: 
dominant-nation female as joyful agent of sexual, national, racial and 
religious humiliation. How's that for liberation?

Lynndie England aside, the scenes at Abu Ghraib depict sexual domination as 
a feature of military hyper-masculinity. The horrific Denver Post 
revelations of the sexual assault and rape of multitudes of servicewomen 
are a further indication that sexual domination in uniform is hardly a rarity.

Our military is built upon the daily subjugation of the sexual lives of 
thousands upon thousands of women to the sexual appetites of servicemen 
overseas. Subordinating the national interests of countries the world over 
to the geo-political interests of the U.S. seemingly requires the sexual 
sacrifice of some portion of these nations' women--poor women, always.

Military prostitution is viewed as rest and relaxation, entertainment for 
the troops. While the purported "goal" of the sexual humiliation of Abu 
Ghraib prisoners was to extract vital information, the photos tell a more 
twisted story. The cheery faces tell us that dramatizing the metaphoric 
rape of the Iraqi nation by acting out the sexual domination of Iraqi men 
was big fun.

Casting themselves as directors and actors in the drama of sexual 
humiliation, the prison guards clearly believed that they could do whatever 
they wished, and thoroughly enjoy themselves in the process. Was it 
un-American for them to think so? Not when the core message of their 
commander-in-chief to the Iraqi people has been, "You will bow down to our 
capacity to dominate, and we will exercise that capacity despite global 
opposition."

The struggle over assigning culpability has taken on the character of a 
high-stakes political tango. That struggle will intensify. Although there's 
no question but that everyone responsible, from the immediate perpetrators 
on up, must be held to account, culpability runs far deeper.

It may be hard to get up in the morning and face this fact, but we are, 
collectively, as guilty as hell. We elect representatives who feed the 
military monster. We honor sadistic hyper-masculinity, awarding those who 
portray it best with governorships (e.g. Arnold Schwarzenneger). We devote 
vast resources to bondage and discipline in our criminal justice system. 
And we lie to ourselves unceasingly.

The world is weary of, and profoundly angered by, America's tattered claim 
of innocence.

The soldiers at Abu Ghraib pulled back the curtain on their perverse 
enactments so that we may see who we are. Do we have the courage to look? 
Do we have the will to change?
______________

Linda Burnham is the executive director of the Women of Color Resource 
Center in Oakland, Calif. (www.coloredgirls.org). A special issue of War 
Times (www.war-times.org) also will be forthcoming on issues of gender, 
race and war.
Jung Hee Choi

Women of Color Resource Center
1611 Telegraph Ave. #303
Oakland, CA 94612
510-444-2700 PH
510-444-2711 FAX
www.coloredgirls.org
jchoi at coloredgirls.org

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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