It wasn’t until nearly the end of his State of the Union address, when addressing civil rights, that President Obama said this:
This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It’s the right thing to do.
Of course he was talking about ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the1993 law that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in our armed forces.
I have made my position on this issue clear in several posts.
However, my opinion doesn’t really matter.
Here is a little more influential opinion, followed by what I would call “where the rubber meets the road”—what the views are in Congress and at the Pentagon.
A New York Times editorial says in part:
The 1993 law was always pointless and cruel, but today, when numerous polls show that a solid majority of Americans oppose it, “don’t ask, don’t tell” feels ever more like the relic of a bygone era. There is evidence that the attitude of military officers is shifting. All that is lacking is political will. Congress and the military should work with Mr. Obama to repeal the law quickly.
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The policy of drumming gay men and lesbians out of the military is based on prejudice, not performance. Gay people serve openly and effectively in the armies of Britain, Israel, Australia and Canada.
The winner of last year’s secretary of defense essay contest was a piece by an Air Force colonel, published in Joint Force Quarterly, a military journal, that called “don’t ask, don’t tell” a “costly failure” and debunked the canard that unit cohesion would be harmed if gay service members were allowed to be open about their sexuality.
Finally:
Much more needs to be done, including recognizing same-sex marriage at the national level and passing a federal law protecting gay people from discrimination on the job. Repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” would be an important step forward.
According to the Washington Post (Here’s where the rubber meets the road):
The Pentagon has been studying ways to integrate gays into the military and, for the first time, will offer recommendations to Congress next week “on a way forward,” defense officials said Thursday, following President Obama’s declaration that he wants to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law this year.
Defense officials declined to reveal details about the Pentagon’s preferred approach for allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces. But they said that the military would prefer to phase in a new policy over time and that they would leave the details to Congress.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to testify Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
And in Congress:
The congressional appetite remains uncertain for overturning the 1993 law, which allows gays to serve in uniform only if they hide their sexual orientation. Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) have said they favor a repeal, they have not pushed the issue. Republicans are largely opposed. So are some key Democrats, including Rep. Ike Skelton (Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
My views, and hope? That the opinions of a majority of Americans will soon become the reality.
UPDATE:
According to CNN, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will unveil the Pentagon’s plan to prepare for repealing the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” law at a committee hearing Tuesday.
And,
According to the Senate Web site, the Senate Armed Services Committee has scheduled an hour to discuss the issue at Tuesday’s hearing on the fiscal year 2011 defense budget, which Gates will attend.
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Gates and Mullen are not expected to offer a specific legislative proposal to repeal the law, but rather to detail some of the preliminary steps that need to be taken inside the military in advance of formulating a legislative plan.
While some, such as member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. James Conway, and Sen. John McCain have reservations or oppose changing the law, others, such as Gen. John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, support the change.
Finally,
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that works with those affected by the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, praised Obama’s call for repeal.
We very much need a sense of urgency to get this done in 2010,” the group said, later adding: “The American public, including conservatives, is overwhelmingly with the commander in chief on this one.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.