'Don't Ask' Policy Draws to a Close
From The Wall Street Journal:
The "Don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military will be lifted on Tuesday, marking the end of an 18-year practice under which more than 14,000 service members were discharged.
With the change, gay and lesbian troops prohibited from discussing their sexual orientation or same-sex relationships are free to do so. Recruiters no longer have to turn away openly gay prospects, and service members expelled from the military because they were gay can now apply to rejoin.
"Don't ask, don't tell" started in 1993, after the president, Bill Clinton, failed to end a ban on gays serving in the military, in the face of stiff opposition from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and members of Congress. Under the policy, gays were supposed to be free to serve, as long as they didn't publicly discuss their orientation and no one else accused them of homosexuality.
President Barack Obama made a push to lift the ban and didn't meet united opposition from the military. Although some service chiefs continued to oppose any change in wartime, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, argued passionately that it was time for Congress to lift the ban.
Congress struck down the ban late last year, with its act to take effect 60 days after the military announced that the repeal wouldn't hinder the readiness of the armed forces. The military spent much of this year putting some 2.3 million service members through an hourlong training course.
Some advocacy groups had grown impatient after the congressional vote. But Alex Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United and a former soldier discharged in 2002 under the policy, said the military's deliberate approach was likely to pay dividends in the years to come.
"Two million of America's most conservative youth went through this training," Mr. Nicholson said. "The seven months provided an unprecedented opportunity to train and educate people about the gay and lesbian community. It was an opportunity to realize the normalcy of the gay community."
The "Don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military will be lifted on Tuesday, marking the end of an 18-year practice under which more than 14,000 service members were discharged.
With the change, gay and lesbian troops prohibited from discussing their sexual orientation or same-sex relationships are free to do so. Recruiters no longer have to turn away openly gay prospects, and service members expelled from the military because they were gay can now apply to rejoin.
"Don't ask, don't tell" started in 1993, after the president, Bill Clinton, failed to end a ban on gays serving in the military, in the face of stiff opposition from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and members of Congress. Under the policy, gays were supposed to be free to serve, as long as they didn't publicly discuss their orientation and no one else accused them of homosexuality.
President Barack Obama made a push to lift the ban and didn't meet united opposition from the military. Although some service chiefs continued to oppose any change in wartime, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, argued passionately that it was time for Congress to lift the ban.
Congress struck down the ban late last year, with its act to take effect 60 days after the military announced that the repeal wouldn't hinder the readiness of the armed forces. The military spent much of this year putting some 2.3 million service members through an hourlong training course.
Some advocacy groups had grown impatient after the congressional vote. But Alex Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United and a former soldier discharged in 2002 under the policy, said the military's deliberate approach was likely to pay dividends in the years to come.
"Two million of America's most conservative youth went through this training," Mr. Nicholson said. "The seven months provided an unprecedented opportunity to train and educate people about the gay and lesbian community. It was an opportunity to realize the normalcy of the gay community."
posted by Sid Cottingham | 5:49 AM
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