Obama Faces Growing Pressure to Repeal DADT
GLBT groups fearful that a projected year-long delay in the repeal of the military's ban on openly gay troops, "Don't Ask Don't Tell," could derail the push to allow patriotic GLBTs to serve their country without having to lie about it are ratcheting up the pressure on President Obama to follow through on statements about repealing the ban this year.
The former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean, is among the voices encouraging Obama to move forward with the repeal. In an open letter that was circulated by California GLBT equality group Courage Campaign, Dean reminded the president of his promises. "When you delivered your State of the Union address in January, you eloquently spoke the following words to Congress and the nation: 'We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it... This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do.' "
Noted Dean, "At the time, we seemed to be making progress. You committed to finally end the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy once and for all, this year. Then in February, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told a congressional hearing that 'we have received our orders from the Commander-in- Chief and we are moving out accordingly.' Both announcements were heartening.
"However, as you know, Secretary Gates sent a letter to House Armed Services Chair Ike Skelton on April 30 which appears to indefinitely delay the possibility of moving forward with the repeal of DADT until the Pentagon completes a review of the policy," Dean added. "In his response, Aubrey Sarvis, Executive Director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said: 'As a result of the Commander in Chief's decision to defer to Secretary Gates' wishes and timeline, gay service members will continue to be treated as second class citizens, and any sense of fairness may well have been delayed for yet another year, perhaps for another decade.' "
Continued Dean, "I share the concerns of Mr. Sarvis. And so do millions of Americans, as reflected in a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll showing 75% support allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. Americans clearly understand that if someone is brave enough to take a bullet for the USA, then they should have the same equal rights guaranteed to every American under the law--whether they are serving in the military, or when they come home.
"While I understand the need to research how repealing DADT will affect members of the military, the law can still be repealed with an implementation timeline this year," Dean went on. "The time to end 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is now. I urge you to take immediate action to insure that Congress includes the repeal of DADT--with an implementation timeline--in the Defense Authorization bill currently under consideration."
That exchange between Skelton and Gates sparked a swiftly-organized anti-DADT rally and the most recent act of civil disobedience, when six more anti-Don't Ask, Don't Tell demonstrators handcuffed themselves to the fence in front of the White House. Earlier acts of similar civil disobedience had been carried out by Lt. Dan Choi, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, and several other gay and lesbian servicemembers and veterans.
In response to Skelton's letter--which some had speculated might have been written as a provocation to weaken Congressional support for repeal of DADT--Gates wrote back that Congress should hold off on any action until a yearlong review process is complete, warning that to rush a repeal through "would send a very damaging message to our men and women in uniform that in essence their views, concerns, and perspectives do not matter."
Another rally has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 11, the Courage Campaign release said, with "more than 300 military veterans" expected to "gather in Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress to repeal DADT this year." The upcoming rally has been organized by "Servicemembers United and the Human Rights Campaign in partnership with a broad coalition of organizations including the Courage Campaign," the release said.
Subsequent to the fracas that developed after Gates replied to Skelton's letter, Sen. Carl Levin, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to Gates, asking for clarification of the year-long review's purpose, reported The Hill on May 7. "The review effort," replied Gates, "is charged with assessing the impact of repealing 10 USC 654 and developing a plan to implement such a repeal in the most informed and effective manner possible." The Hill noted that in the House of Representatives, veteran and sponsor of House legislation to repeal DADT Rep. Patrick Murphy has said that he will continue to promote his bill in Congress.
Though the 1993 compromise measure allows gay and lesbian troops to serve as long as they do not disclose their true sexual orientation, some have been discharged after being reported or outed by third parties. Female servicemembers who are not gay have also reportedly been reported under DADT by male colleagues as punishment for declining sexual advances. One adjustment by Gates is to tighten the policy with regard to third parties making claims of homosexuality on the part of servicemembers. A March 25 Associated Press story reported on the revised guidelines, and called the change a "stopgap measure" while the yearlong review of the policy is underway.
Another organization dedicated to the repeal of DADT is the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). A news release from SLDN said that the group has posted a series of letters online that appeal to Obama to move ahead with the repeal of the anti-gay ban. One of the latest letters has been authored by the grandson of President Harry Truman, Clifton Truman Daniel. The SLDN release noted that, "In July 1948, Truman announced his decision to desegregate the U.S. Armed Forces despite strong opposition." Opponents of the anti-gay ban compare that act to today's military being fully integrated so that openly GLBT troops are able to serve.
"Every weekday morning as we approach the markup of the Defense Authorization bill in the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, SLDN and a coalition of voices supporting repeal, will share an open letter to the President from a person impacted by this discriminatory law," the release reads. "We are urging the President to include repeal in the Administration's defense budget recommendations, but also to voice his support as we work to muster the 15 critical votes needed on the Senate Armed Services Committee to include repeal."
Following the leaked correspondence between Skelton and Gates, The White House said that the president remained committed to striking down the anti-gay policy. "This is not a question of if, but how," a White House statement said, reported D.C. publication Metro Weekly on May 6. "That's why we've said that the implementation of any congressional repeal will be delayed until the DOD study of how best to implement that repeal is completed. The [p]resident is committed to getting this done both soon and right."