We are just hours away from historic House and Senate votes on the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” the discriminatory law that has denied more than 14,000 Americans– and countless others barred or discouraged from enlisting – the ability to serve openly and honestly in our military, hurting our readiness and national security.
Monday’s announcement of a repeal compromise was a step forward crafted by the president, Department of Defense officials, and repeal leaders on Capitol Hill. It allows for legislative votes to be held now and respects the ongoing work by the Pentagon on how to implement open service for lesbian and gay service members. Nothing would happen until the Pentagon Working Group completes its report and the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the President certifies repeal.
Advocates have been working for some time to include repeal as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act – generally understood as “must-pass” legislation. The defense spending bill represents the best legislative vehicle to bring repeal to the president’s desk this year. It also was the same vehicle used to pass DADT in 1993.
If enacted, this welcomed compromise will create a process for the president and the Pentagon to implement a new policy of non-discrimination for lesbian and gay service members. It would allow the estimated 66,000 lesbian and gay active-duty to serve our country openly and with integrity. This also builds upon the support Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed for open service during the February hearing in the Senate.
Anyone who doubts that Adm. Mullen wants to get repeal done right need only read his remarkable testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee: “I am troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are. ... It comes down to integrity — theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.”
In his State of the Union message President Barack Obama said repealing "Don't ask, don't tell" was the right thing to do. Service members around the world took the president at his word; we do, too.
Read full article at The Hill
