Don't Understand Don't Ask, Don't Tell

It still amazes me that Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) is law in the United States. There are thousands of men and women in the military (not to mention hundreds of thousands of veterans) who identify as something other than heterosexual and have devoted themselves to the service of our country. To deny them the right to continue working in the Armed Forces due to their sexual orientation is completely irrational.

In fact, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network reports that in 2007 an average of 12 people every week were discharged for being gay. During the time Obama has been president alone, 275 people have been discharged!

Let's step back a minute and think about this. What other occupation in the public sector requires someone to be fired due to their sexual orientation? None, so why the military? Also, isn't this policy fiscally irresponsible? We spend millions of dollars annually training these folks and then once they develop these crucial skills (like learning Arabic), they are fired. The corollary is that we are also losing servicemembers who are necessary for our national security. Lastly, polls for at least the past year have shown that both the majority of the American people and servicemembers do not object to LGB folks openly serving in the military.

For the first time, we have a President who has campaign-promised to get rid of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" and replace it with a policy of non-discrimination. An overwhelming majority of Americans support lifting the ban, and the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA), which would get rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" once and for all, already has 150 co-sponsors.

It’s clear that the movement to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is gaining momentum every day. The time for repeal is now.