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Editorial: Bigotry doesn't become America's military
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End the "don't ask, don't tell" law for gays and lesbians because the military and America will be stronger for it.
It is wrong that gay men and women serving their country are supposed to keep their sexual orientation a secret. Congress should reject this officially mandated hypocrisy, which dates back to 1993 when President Bill Clinton compromised on his pledge to repeal the ban on gays in the armed forces. Repeal was the right thing then and now, but also would resolve practical problems created by the policy.
Those problems include:
- Creating an atmosphere of fear for gay service members that hurts morale. As Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee, young men and women are forced "to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."
- Wasting talent and money. For example, Arab language translators are already hard to find, so don't narrow the pool of experts. And it is a poor use of tax dollars when gay service members are discharged because their sexual orientation becomes known. It's estimated that more than 10,000 have been dismissed since the mid-1990s.
People who don't want to end the law resurrect old arguments that gays damage readiness, effectiveness and military cohesion. These are the same tired excuses made over the years to keep women from serving in significant roles. Whether homosexual or heterosexual, military personnel are expected to conduct themselves honorably, without harassing other service members.
Many other countries allow gays to serve openly in their armed forces. Canada decided to do so in 1992. A study by University of California researchers nearly a decade later on gays and lesbians in Canada's military found no decline in military performance.
Nearly 17 years have passed since "don't ask, don't tell" took effect in the United States. Americans, especially younger people, have grown increasingly tolerant, if not fully accepting of gays and lesbians. A 2009 Gallup Poll found 69 percent of Americans favor letting openly gay men and women serve - up from 63 percent previously. Even Gen. Colin Powell, who opposed allowing gays to serve openly in the military in the 1990s, has changed his mind.
Acknowledging that there is no place for bigotry is at the heart of this.
President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address finally followed up on his campaign promise by encouraging Congress to repeal the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly. A Pentagon review is in the works, which may take up to a year, on how this change could be made. This president should be strong in his commitment to see it through.
Americans who oppose the demeaning law must let their U.S. House and Senate members know, too. Ultimately repeal will be up to Congress. And passage is far from certain.
As a Register editorial said in May 1993, before "don't ask, don't tell" was adopted, "The military should not discriminate against homosexuals, period."
-Des Moines Register: February 7, 2010
Categories: Discrimination, LGBT, Military
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