During last year’s campaign, President Barack Obama promised to eventually repeal the policy of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” 
that was was introduced as a compromise measure in 1993 and approved by then President Bill Clinton. So far President Obama hasn’t issued any specific policy statement, nor has he taken any action to stop its continued use by all branches of the military.
In fact the White House has clearly stated that it won’t stop gays and lesbians from being dismissed from the military.
The Supreme Court has ruled that it will not hear any current motions before the Court because it found that “don’t ask, don’t tell” is “rationally related to the government’s legitimate interest in military discipline and cohesion.”
The White House stated that the Court ruled correctly in this regard and then referred requests for comment to the Justice Department. It did issue this brief comment:
“The law requires the Department of Defense to separate from the armed services members who engage in or attempt to engage in homosexual acts; state they are homosexual or bisexual; or marry or attempt to marry a person of the same biological sex.”
A spokesman representing gay and lesbian members of the military stated that there are no studies showing unit cohesion, morale and order have been harmed by openly gay people. He pointed out that attitudes among troops and society as a whole are far different than they were in decade of the 1990s when the policy was formulated and first instituted. Our military members who are actually serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have much more liberal attitudes about gay people are very different than some of the high ranking generals and policy makers who are now in their 50s and 60s.
It’s a travesty that several valuable members of the military, both male and female, who have served well and loyally for many years, are now being forced out of military because they refuse to deny or hide their sexual orientation. Some of these people in service have earned medals for bravery under fire, have taken on dangerous assignments, and have provided their branch of service with their special skills and talents.
None of the military members who have recently been forced out, or have been told that they will soon have to leave, have had any reports of misbehavior or disloyal acts during their service.
Some of these gay and lesbian soldiers and sailors have stated that some members of their unit did not realize that they were homosexual, and when they finally learned of that fact they either didn’t care or were vocal in their support of their gay comrades. Yes, there are some in the military who dislike homosexuals and will harass or bully them when given the opportunity. With very few exceptions most members of military units are judged by their peers for how they handle their duties, carry out their orders, and how they treat their subordinates – not whether they are gay or straight – the same as anyone else in service.
President Obama is Commander-in-chief and has the power to take action to stop this injustice from continuing. Even if his preference is to let Congress create laws and regulations as to how to handle specific problems in the military that arise due to some one’s sexual preferences, he should still suspend current enforcement of the policy until that happens. As Commander-in-chief he can reinstate the policy at any time that he feels that it is needed or that military discipline and security might be compromised.
The presence of gays serving in American military units has been documented going back to the French and Indian Wars of the early 18th Century. Many of the officers of both the British and American forces during the Revolution were known to be “dandies,” yet they led their troops and made battle plans with the same skills and sense of duty as their peers.
In the past, one reason for not allowing homosexuals to serve in the military, or as spies, or in connection with critical secret projects, was that they might be compromised because of their fear of being blackmailed with the threat of public disclosure because of their sexual orientation. Because of the shame and and public scandal that such a revelation could create, this was probably the right policy for past generations and past wars. Yet history tells us that many people who were privately gay served well in the most critical secret projects, including development of the atom bomb, jet aircraft, and code deciphering. In fact, all of the major breaches of security that were made public after World War 2 involved heterosexual men and women, many of whom were married and had children.
The presence of homosexuals in the navy was common knowledge among American sailors and officers during the major wars of the 20th century. “Don’t drop the soap in the showers” was a common humorous warning shared between American sailors serving in the Pacific during World War 2. Yet those sailors and soldiers who were gay served just as faithfully in every military unit and in every capacity, were wounded, maimed, and killed just as often as their straight companions.
2007 Senate hearings discussing gays in the military
This is the 21st Century: Let’s face it folks – gays and lesbians will eventually get their constitutional rights returned to them sometime before this century is over. Are we going to make them sweat it out for several more years, suffering and continuing to be discriminated against like the blacks, Hispanics, and Asians did during the 19th and 20th centuries? Or are we finally going to do the right thing for once and act now to eliminate all discrimination and finally let the Equal Rights Amendment be fully implemented?
I call upon President Obama to take the lead and fulfill his campaign promise to end the unfair and unconstitutional “Don’t ask, don’t tell” rules and guidelines NOW! He has the power to do that under his authority as Commander-in-chief. Do it now, Mr. President, and then let Congress take the time they need to work out the details of any new regulations – or hopefully they will realize that there should not be special rules for homosexual Americans and simply ban all discrimination in the American military once and for all.
[Photo credits: Lou Clarke, UK (Bronze statue- Tankies); Gabriella Fabbri, Italy (Color graphic - Three Soldiers)]
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John, as always, a very informative and timely post. While I agree with you in principle, I wonder how many new programs President Obama can have going on at one time and still be effective. In my business life, I tried to prioritize my time with projects that I tagged with “must do”, “should do”, and “would like to do.”
Dick,
In terms of what should be on President Obama’s priorities list I think we can all agree that getting the economy in order and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are at the top.
Both of those issues along with energy usage and resource development are clearly important and very complex and will take some time to fully implement.
On the other hand, the issue of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” can be resolved very quickly by the President by simply issuing an Executive Order under his powers as Commander-in-chief, temporarily ending the enforcement of this command order until he can get back to it later when he has more time or whenever Congress decides to take action.
Our military services are losing many loyal, highly trained and qualified men and women, American citizens who actually want to be in service and are willing to put their lives at risk for our benefit – only because of their unwillingness to try to appear to be what they are not.
Would we ask a soldier who was Jewish to hide his religion and claim to be Christian – because a few of the other soldiers might be offended or not like Jews? Are we going to kick out all of the African-Americans who are in service because we still have some soldiers from the south who dislike being around black people? Are we going to force all the women in service to resign or send them home because – well, pick a reason: How do they change clothes in mixed sleeping quarters? What will they do when they have their periods? How will they go to the bathroom out in the field between battles? Hey, women are emotional and might cry during a battle, right? They’re the weaker sex and might get hurt.
The real excuse for forcing homosexuals out of service was clearly stated by the general in the attached video: he thinks they’re sissies, they’ll go weak during a battle, they’re not man enough (except for the lesbians, of course – they’re entirely “too manly”), they’ll let their fellow soldiers down under fire, the other guys will have to protect them, and any number of other ridiculous excuses that could just as easily apply to women in combat. Women are not being tossed out of the service for being women, i.e., the “weaker sex.”
Let’s face it: There is no good reason at all to continue DADT in the American military and every good reason to end it now and forever. Obama – do your duty!
John, what you report is all well and good. However, a considerable amount of political capital would be expended if the President simply issued an executive order now to discontinue DADT. Particularly when so many people in this country see this issue as integral to their religious experience. Simply, this is a very emotional, and yes irrational topic for many so-called true believers who choose to cherry pick what they think the Bible mandates for Christians. I think Obama is an excellent politician and clearly understands how his actions, however well meaning that they may be, could distract progress on other, more pressing initiatives. Although I suspect he will strike when he feels the time is right.
I agree with both of you. He did make a promise and I believe, if he’s given eight years, that he will complete the promise. He also promised to be pragmatic. This might be one of those times. We need to give him a little more time to do it in a way that is not divisive. Unlike his predecessor, he doesn’t like to force things on us.