Toby Keith Sounds Off on Gays & Women in Military

The government's recent repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' the policy which barred gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, may be a controversial issue, but outspoken entertainer Toby Keith doesn't understand why it was ever implemented in the first place.

"It's just such a big issue that people make such a big stink about -- 'don't ask, don't tell,'" Toby tells CMT Insider. "That sounds like our government: 'We'll fix it by saying, 'Don't ask, don't tell.' Everybody agree, raise your hands. All right, let's go get a snack.' That whole gay issue thing, that's never bothered me. I've never seen what that affects and [why] anybody should care -- and they never do affect me."

Toby also shared his opinion on the subject of gay marriage, saying, "First of all, we're going to stop somebody from getting a marriage license because they're gay? You won't stop them from living together, so what have you accomplished? Wasting a lot of money here and a lot of time that could be spent working on this deficit that we're under ... I never saw the reasoning behind getting in people's personal lives."

The country superstar, whose hits include 'American Soldier,' adds that he does have concerns about gays serving openly because of the potential reaction from others. "The military is a tough thing," he explains. "I don't worry as much about the heterosexual people fighting as I do about the gays ... In the military or any class in life, you have people who have problems with it, and I'm wondering how that's going to be compatible on the battlefield. That's the only question I have, other than that I don't care. I don't know enough about what they proposed or what they've put in place here. Somebody's sexual preference is like, 'Who cares?'"

The father of two daughters also expressed reservations about women serving in combat. "In the military, I have a tough time seeing if they put females in the battlefield because you're not fighting other females when you're in a foxhole fighting. You're fighting some evil guys. They're ready to destroy you. Especially when we get captured, and they get a military female, that just gets me ... 'Man, what are they doing to her right now?'"

Ultimately, however, Toby concludes that if a member of the military is prepared to fight, that's exactly what they should be allowed to do. "Some of them girls are tough as hell too," he reasons. "As long as females and the gays and the soldiers are all killers and ready to fight people off ... get 'em!"

Toby Keith's latest single, the No. 2 hit 'Made in America,' is from his upcoming album, 'Clancy's Tavern,' which will be released on October 25.

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