Newsletter Feature Story July 2010

Feature Story - July 2010

Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy Advances in Congress

On the eve of Memorial Day weekend, the House voted 293-to-194 to rescind the 1993 law barring openly gay individuals from serving in America's Armed Forces. That same day, the Senate Armed Services Committee followed suit, in a 16-to-12 vote.

Both proposals were amendments to the fiscal 2011 defense authorization bill. Although the full Senate was expected to take up the defense measure this summer, minority Republicans have threatened a filibuster if the change in policy toward gays in uniform remains in the legislation.

If it clears the Senate, the repeal would only become effective after a Pentagon study on its impact and after President Obama and top military leaders certify that the change in policy would not impact the military's fighting ability.
The President called for a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in his State of the Union address in January. "I will work with Congress and the military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are."

In February, the President sent Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to lobby Congress, and explore how to repeal the policy.

Gates and Mullen launched a review of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which is due by December 1st.

Under a compromise reached between the White House and proponents of the repeal legislation, rescinding the policy can only take place 60 days after the Pentagon report is released, a point underscored by Gates in a recorded video message to service members.

Gates asserted, "It would repeal ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' but only after–I repeat, after–the ongoing Department of Defense high-level review is completed; and only after the President, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I all can certify that we are ready to make this change without hurting unit cohesion, military readiness, military effectiveness, and recruiting and retention."

The President issued a statement favoring the compromise timeline for repealing the policy.

"I am grateful that the amendments...will ensure that the Department of Defense can complete that comprehensive review that will allow our military and their families the opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process.

Our military is made up of the best and bravest men and women in our nation, and my greatest honor is leading them as Commander-in-Chief. This legislation will help make our Armed Forces even stronger and more inclusive by allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve honestly and with integrity," the President stated.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi hailed House passage of the repeal amendment.

"Under ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' more than 13,000 men and women in uniform have been discharged from the military. Thousands more have decided not to re-enlist. Fighter pilots, infantry officers, Arabic translators and other specialists have been discharged at a time when our nation is engaged in two wars.

By repealing the discriminatory ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, we also honor the service and sacrifice of all who dedicate their lives to protecting the American people. We honor the values of our nation, and we close the door on a fundamental unfairness," Pelosi said.

Pelosi's sentiments were shared by Christopher Anders, American Civil Liberties Union Senior Legislative Counsel.

The vote to repeal ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' should be seen for what it is: a hugely significant step towards eliminating this failed and counterproductive policy.

For the better part of two decades, gay and lesbian Americans have lived beneath the threat of being discharged simply for being who they are under this policy. Our men and women in uniform deserve our government's utmost respect, and it is un-American to ask anyone willing to die for this country to live without dignity or honesty. It is up to Congress to continue this momentum to see this through to the end, and to ensure that ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' receives a dishonorable discharge," Anders said.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said lawmakers have "stood on the right side of history" with their action.

Solmonese continued, "This is a historic step to strengthen our Armed Forces and to restore honor and integrity to those who serve our country so selflessly.

Americans recognize that on the battlefield, it does not matter whether service members are gay or straight; what matters is that they get the job done. Those who wish to preserve discrimination in our military will continue to fight this progress, but we will be there every step of the way to ensure that qualified men and women are allowed to serve their country, regardless of sexual orientation," Solmonese said.

Servicemembers United, which bills itself as the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, praised advancement of the repeal legislation.

Servicemembers United Executive Director, Alexander Nicholson, said, "It demonstrates real momentum in the battle to finally rid the United States Code of the outdated ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law."

Nicholson, a former U.S. Army interrogator who was discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," added, "We are especially grateful to the faithful and principled members of Congress who voted for this amendment, which fully respects the ongoing study, the Pentagon leadership, and the men and women of the U.S. military."

However, the nation's two most prominent veterans groups are staunchly opposed to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

American Legion National Commander, Clarence Hill, said, "The American Legion, by national resolution, supports the ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law and believes it has served the military well for the last 17 years. Moreover, we believe, changing a major social policy in the middle of two wars would be a mistake and distraction."

Likewise, the Veterans of Foreign Wars criticized changing the policy as using the military as a "control group for social engineering."

VFW spokesman, Joe Davis, told The Washington Times, "The VFW is fully aware that societal norms regarding homosexuality have changed since the 1993 passage of the ban, but what is considered acceptable by civilians must not be blindly imposed on a military institution that the great majority of society chooses not to join."

Concerned Women for America CEO, Penny Nance, expressed outrage over the repeal effort.

President Obama and congressional leaders struck a deal with homosexual activists–with no military leaders in the room–to force the military to allow homosexuals. A policy that will have an extensive impact on combat situations, housing, morale, discipline, is being imposed, not because it is good for the military or America, but to satisfy the demands of homosexual activists. Politicians have put homosexual interests above our national security.

The Pentagon and officials in our military know what is best for our troops and the protection of our country. For Congress to outright ignore their counsel and vote to repeal a law which was enacted after carefully considering the military's unique mission–without even considering how a repeal will impact the military–puts our nation's security at risk," Nance said.

Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, "Repeal of the ban on homosexuals serving in the military has nothing to do with making our Armed Forces more effective. It is already the best military force in the world. Repeal of the ban is nothing but a political payoff to homosexual advocacy groups for their campaign support."

That view was echoed by Family Research Council President, Tony Perkins.

"The hard Left of the Democratic Party, led by President Obama and Speaker Pelosi, have chosen to put a political constituency with a radical agenda–the homosexual lobby–ahead of the well-being of our men and women in uniform.

Unfortunately, for our brave servicemen and women, the liberal majority chose to advance the social agenda of a radical special interest group without giving an opportunity for the military to finish its own study of the issue. Concern, not for the troops, but for their own political hides, is moving the Democrats to act with such expediency," Perkins said.

On a related note, 41 retired military chaplains, working with FRC, wrote a letter to the President and Gates urging them to "protect religious liberty" by leaving the ban in place. Otherwise, they maintained that the careers of many, if not most, military chaplains will end if the policy is overturned, either because they leave voluntarily or are pressured out.

Their letter, in part, read, "If the government normalizes homosexual behavior in the Armed Forces, many chaplains will confront a profoundly difficult moral choice: whether they are to obey God or to obey men.

This forced choice must be faced, since Orthodox Christianity, which represents a significant percentage of religious belief in the Armed Forces, does not affirm homosexual behavior. Imposing this conflict by normalizing homosexual behavior within the Armed Forces seems to have two likely–and equally undesirable–results.

First, chaplains might be pressured by adverse discipline and collapsed careers into watering down their teachings, and avoiding–if not abandoning–key elements of their sending-denomination's faith and practice. Such a result would be the very antithesis of religious freedom and inimical to the guarantees made by our First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Second, chaplains might have their ability to freely share their religious beliefs challenged and torn away in a variety of everyday situations. For instance, chaplains who methodically preach book-by-book from the Bible would inevitably present religious teachings that identify homosexual behavior as immoral. Thus, while chaplains fulfill their duty to God to preach the doctrines of their faith, they would find themselves speaking words that are in unequivocal conflict with official policies," the retired chaplains wrote.

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