Gays serve in militaries around the world, although several countries (including the U.S. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy) prohibit service by openly gay soldiers and sailors.
The Advocate, Posted: 3/4/2010, 2:35 PM As a House Armed Services subcommittee questioned the three witnesses yesterday responsible for conducting a yearlong review on repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” one thing became clear: The Pentagon favors completing the review before Congress acts legislatively. “I would think that members of Congress would like to be informed by our work,” said Gen. Carter Ham, cochair of the three-member working group appointed by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to study implementation. “I think it’s very important that we understand the impacts of repeal before it occurs.” Ham appeared alongside Jeh Johnson, Department of Defense general counsel and fellow cochair, and Clifford Stanley, a retired Army general and Defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness. Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, chief sponsor of the House’s repeal bill, said after the hearing that he is committed to pushing repeal now. “I think it’s pretty clear today, based on their testimony, that they have endorsed a dual track by the Congress of the United States — it needs to do their job to repeal a law that it put into place almost 17 years ago,” Murphy said. “And as we do our job, they’ll concurrently do their job to study how we’re going to implement this.” Murphy stressed that his bill now has 189 cosponsors and two dozen verbal commitments, putting repeal within striking distance in the House. “We have the votes in the House,” he said, adding, “we are going to get this thing done this year — I don’t care if it’s stand-alone, attached to the National Defense Authorization Act or any other piece of legislation. But this will be changed this year.”
Associated Press (AP), Posted: 3/3/2010, 5:35 PM The Pentagon's upcoming study on gays in the military is biased, some GOP lawmakers already contend, because it assumes Congress will repeal the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't tell." Republicans are likely to use that argument as they try to erode the credibility of the planned review, which Defense Secretary Robert Gates envisions as the first comprehensive look at 17-year-old policy. Leading the assessment are the Defense Department's general counsel, Jeh Johnson, and the U.S. Army Forces Europe commander, Gen. Carter Ham. They were to testify Wednesday before a House Armed Services subcommittee for the first time since being named to lead the study. "Many of us on this committee have serious concerns with putting our men and women in uniform through such a divisive debate while they are fighting two wars," said Rep. Buck McKeon of California (pictured), the committee's top Republican. Gates has said it's probably inevitable that the law will change. He ordered the study to determine how that could be done with minimal effect on the force. President Barack Obama pledged to change the policy while running for the White House, but now needs Congress' blessing. Obama also faces a skeptical military. The service chiefs have said they assurances that the troops' ability to fight will not be hurt. Proponents of the ban often argue that a unit's morale and sense of cohesion could erode if the unit included an openly gay member.
The Advocate, Posted: 3/3/2010, 7:14 AM Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut on Wednesday will introduce the Senate’s first “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal bill along with eleven Democratic cosponsors including Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, but no Republicans. “To me, it’s very important that we repeal this law, both because it’s fair and consistent with basic American values of equal opportunity,” Lieberman told The Advocate, “but also because it’s a very positive step for the military to take in terms of military effectiveness and readiness.” The legislation, called the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010, would repeal the 1993 law that banned lesbian and gay soldiers from serving openly in the military and replace it with a policy that prohibits discrimination against service members on the basis of their sexual orientation. Lieberman explained that the nondiscrimination provision would make the change “more permanent legislatively,” so a future administration couldn’t revert back to something akin to “don’t ask, don’t tell” by executive action. Lieberman, who has opposed the ’93 law since its inception, said ending the policy has significant support and that he would push for passing the bill this year, although he wasn’t sure he had the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster.
CNN, Posted: 3/3/2010, 1:54 AM A Pentagon study on how to implement a plan to allow gays to serve openly in the military, "can only be successful if it is managed in a way that minimizes disruption to a force engaged in combat operations," according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates made the comments in a letter sent Tuesday to the four service heads and other senior staff who will work on a study looking at implications of repealing the "don't ask don't tell" law. President Barack Obama requested that the Congress repeal the law and directed Gates to consider how best to implement a repeal. The letter by Gates included an outline with objectives for the study and how to approach executing it throughout the services. Some of the objectives include:
Determining any impacts to military readiness, military effectiveness and unit cohesion, recruiting/retention, and recommend any actions that should be taken in light of such impacts
Recommending appropriate changes, if any, to the Uniform Code of Military Justice
Determining leadership, guidance and training on standards of conduct and new policies
In a reference to the delicate nature of the study, Gates also told members of the study group to, "In an appropriately balanced manner, engage Members of Congress, key influencers of potential service members and other stakeholder groups that have expressed a view on the current and perspective policy."
D.C. Agenda, Posted: 3/2/2010, 4:45 PM The sponsor of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal legislation in the U.S. House is confident Congress will overturn the law this year — even as other lawmakers have indicated repeal may not happen until later. In an interview with DC Agenda Tuesday, Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) said he believed lawmakers would overturn this year the 1993 statute preventing gays, lesbians and bisexuals from serving openly in the U.S. military and that he’s expecting Congress to take up the issue “legislatively in the next couple months.” Murphy said the upcoming defense authorization bill could be a vehicle for passing repeal legislation. He noted that passage as part of defense authorization would give the Pentagon time to complete the study currently underway on the law. “We usually don’t pass that into law until October of that year,” Murphy said. “October is about seven months away. That’s plenty of time for the folks to get ready to just put out to the troops that you need to respect not just one another’s race, one another creed, but also one another’s sexual orientation.” Still, Murphy said defense authorization was just one way that Congress could enact repeal. Other options remain available. “I think that’s one of the vehicles moving forward, and so I anticipate getting this done this year,” he said.
Posted: 2/28/2010, 2:07 PM *VIDEO after the jump*: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) defended his opposition to repealing the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, claiming military leaders remain divided on the issue so he is not ready to defer on the question to Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as he said he would in 2006. "As I said back then, we need to have a careful examination," McCain said on NBC's "Meet the Press" this morning. "And Admiral
Mullen was, as quote, speaking personally. Just this week the
commandant of the Marine Corps said that he did not want DADT
repealed. There are many in the military who do not want to. We are
going to go through, hopefully, a year-long study that will, hopefully,
also, have the feelings of the men and women who are serving." McCain rebuffed the suggestion that his continuing opposition despite testimony by Mullen and the
appearance on that same program last week by top Army Gen. David
Petraeus was due to the GOP primary challenge he now faces for re-election.
Charlotte Observer (N.C.), Posted: 2/27/2010, 10:07 AM A Charlotte gay-rights group will ask U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., today to join their fight to repeal the nation's don't ask, don't tell policy, which bans gays from serving openly in the military. Charlotte Rainbow Action Network for Equality, or CRANE, plans to rally this afternoon on the measure, launching their March for Myrick campaign in the process. In the next month, supporters hope to gather 13,500 plastic toy soldiers to deliver to Myrick's office at the end of March. The soldiers represent the estimated 13,500 troops kicked out of the military for being gay since the policy took effect in 1993, said Matt Comer, a Charlotte resident and organizer of the group. Comer said the group chose to focus on Myrick because of her work on military-related issues. "Representative Myrick has very much a pro-military, pro-national security record," Comer said. "In the past couple years she's spoken out on issues especially when it comes to the war on terror. Since she does place such an importance on military readiness, it makes no sense she would not sponsor the military readiness bill."
Washington Times (anti-gay), Posted: 2/26/2010, 7:36 PM *WARNING: anti-gay source*: There could be some unintended collateral damage when it comes to the question of openly practicing gays and lesbians in the military. The issue could pit political correctness against First Amendment rights, some say -- and a battleground is erupting over a simple public speaking engagement. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said Thursday that the chaplain's office of Andrews Air Force Base rescinded a long-standing invitation for him to speak at a prayer luncheon on base. Mr. Perkins said military officials became concerned after he spoke out against President Obama's call to Congress to lift all restrictions on service in the military by gays and lesbians, made during his State of the Union address. Mr. Perkins said the base sent him a letter Jan. 29 informing him that his opinions were "incompatible" for "military members who serve our elected officials and our Commander in Chief." The lunch was off, in other words. Mr. Perkins, a former Marine and an ordained minster, is worried about greater implications. "I am disappointed that I've been denied the opportunity to speak to members of the military, in a non-political way, solely because I exercised my free speech rights in a different forum," Mr. Perkins said. "It's ironic that this blacklisting should occur because I called for the retention and enforcement of a valid federal statute."
Los Angeles Times, Posted: 2/25/2010, 4:21 AM Top Navy and Marine Corps officers said Wednesday that they opposed a moratorium on discharges of openly gay military personnel. "I would encourage you to either change the law or not," said Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant. "But half measures will only be confusing in the end." Some Democrats in Congress are pushing for a moratorium on discharges of gays and lesbians while the military studies the effects of a wholesale change in the law. Conway and Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, said they supported the effort to study the effects of lifting the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the armed forces. "There has never really been an assessment of the force that serves," Roughead said. "Equally important is the feelings of the families that support that force." As part of the 1993 law creating the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, the Pentagon is required to remove service members who admit they are gay or are determined to be gay following accusations. More than 14,000 service members have been booted out for those reasons.
Politico, Posted: 2/24/2010, 3:28 PM Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who plans to introduce a bill to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military as soon as next week, is under no illusions that a full reversal of the existing policy will be possible this year. “I’m not kidding myself,” Lieberman told reporters Tuesday. “Of course, I’d like to get it done this year, but it’s going to be hard.” Standing in the way of quick action is the need to find a Republican co-sponsor and enough votes — especially among moderate Democrats — when the Pentagon is in the midst of conducting a study of how to implement a change and what effects it might have. Lieberman, who has been working on the issue with the White House, said Tuesday the public mood has changed, citing retired Gen. Colin Powell’s recent support for repeal. “To me, it’s not only the right thing to do in terms of American values and equal opportunity, but it’s the best thing for our military, because we’re depriving ourselves of a very significant number of Americans who want to serve,” Lieberman said. He added that Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been supportive of including “if not the total repeal, perhaps a moratorium on enforcement” in the defense authorization bill.
Politico, Posted: 5/26/2010, 3:01 PM
QUICK LOOK:By MAJ. PETER KEES HAMSTRA & LEIF OHLSON & LT. COM. CRAIG JONES: As openly gay officers with decades of combined service experience in the British, Dutch and Swedish armed forces, we are closely watching U.S. developments around the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell." We were just in Washington at a Brookings Institution/Palm Center conference, where representatives from the world's militaries discussed this matter. Though we maintain a respect for the American people, their military and their political process, we share a sense of puzzlement — and a sort of shock — at the rhetoric we heard surrounding "Don't ask, don't tell." As Congress prepares to vote on this, we hope our international perspective can be of some value. The U.S. armed forces are the world's most formidable, with an unrivaled might and a readiness to accept worldwide deployments to engage in a range of military conflicts that no other nation views with the same sort of international responsibility. Yet it is also true that U.S. military power depends, in most cases, on an international coalition of partners. Members of Congress don't always seem to appreciate that America's allies are put off in serious ways by the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. For example, units of our own or other armed forces have refused to deploy in some joint operations with U.S. forces because gay service members would not work with the Americans — for fear of hostile reactions.
Washington Post, Posted: 4/20/2010, 8:03 PM
QUICK LOOK:BY JONATHAN CAPEHART: President Obama flew out to California to help the sagging reelection effort of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and came face-to-face with frustration over efforts to repeal the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military. He was interrupted a couple of times during his rah-rah for Boxer, in fact. Now, here's my frustration: These same protesters don't bother to interrupt fundraisers and other events for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). With Obama out, loud and proud in his support for repeal of "don't ask don't tell," those congressional leaders are the ones who hold the key to it actually happening. And they are content to let Obama take all the heat. Hammering away at Obama on this issue is understandable. During the campaign, he promised to do away with the law that hurts the nation's military effectiveness. (I mean, how effective can the U.S. be in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the war on terror if it's booting desperately needed Arab linguists simply because of who they are?) But I must remind my gay brothers and sisters that Obama is not king. Don't ask don't tell is an act of Congress. And it will take Congress to permanently do away with it. Gay men and lesbians are right to hold Obama's feet to the fire on this. But by continuing to ignore Pelosi and Reid, not only are they giving them a pass the leaders don't deserve, they are also slowing down a resolution to an honorable cause.
Posted: 3/26/2010, 12:06 PM
QUICK LOOK:It's been one year since Lt. Dan Choi came out of the closet very publicly to challenge the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy on gays in the military. An Arab linguist now facing discharge, Choi was back in the headlines last week when he showed up at a Human Rights Campaign rally featuring comedienne Kathy Griffin and, according to some, "hijacked" the event by asking those present to join him for a short two-block walk to the White House, where he handcuffed himself to the fence in a protest of civil disobedience. He spent the night in jail but was back out protesting over the weekend, joining the LGBT contingent in the large immigration rights rally on the National Mall. One year after it all started, Choi went back on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show to talk about the latest developments in DADT repeal.
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