THE DEATH OF ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

The controversial military policy of “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL”(DADT)  could be on its death bed.

On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 234 to 194 to overturn the 1993 DADT law which allowed gays to serve in the military only if they hid their sexual orientation. The bill now makes it way to the Senate.  President Obama has already said he will sign the bill if passed.

But not everyone is ecstatic about the rapid fall of DADT. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants the repeal of DADT to be a slow and meticulous process, believing that openly gay members in the armed services could be disruptive to our military readiness.  Democrats in Congress want the bill passed and pushed through immediately, fearing it could run into many hurdles should they lose any seats to the GOP in the upcoming November election.  And gay rights activists point out that gays are already actively serving in the military, so it’s not like there would be some mass rush of the unknown into our existing service structure.  Gay military members also say that if they’re willing to risk their lives in service to their country, they simply want to be treated fairly and to have the same rights as everyone else.

But some homosexuals in the military say they are worried about how the process will work and whether they will be treated differently if they publicly acknowledge their sexual orientation.  Some have even raised valid concerns wondering if they will be harassed, assigned to separate barracks or shunned by colleagues who had been friendly before. “In an idyllic world, getting rid of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and saying ‘Everyone here is welcome’ is great,” said a 29-year-old lesbian in the Army National Guard, who asked that her name be withheld because she could still be discharged under the rule. “But the [DADT] policy actually allowed for a lot of protections,” the soldier said. “Getting rid of it completely without modifying it is kind of worrisome. The number of incidents against gays in the military is going to increase.”

Opponents and supporters of the ban collectively agree that a host of thorny practical questions will face the Pentagon if Congress gives final approval to repeal the ban, which could happen this summer. Will openly gay service members be placed in separate housing, as the commandant of the Marine Corps has advocated? What benefits, if any, will partners or spouses of homosexual service members be accorded? Will all military units be required to treat homosexuals the same? And what training will heterosexual officers and enlisted troops receive to prepare them to serve with openly gay soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines?

“The reality is, getting rid of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ doesn’t ensure that all lesbian and gay service members will be equal on that day,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. “There will continue to be challenges to make full equality for gays and lesbians in the armed forces a reality.”

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