Standing Up To "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Seeing as this is my first post for The Monster Movement blog I feel that one of the most pressing issues in need of discussion is the fight to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". State Senators will be voting the week of September 20, 2010 and it is up to us to express our thoughts on the issue so we can win the majority in the Senate in order to end the oppressive "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is an absurd and discriminating policy which prohibits lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members and applicants from disclosing their sexual orientation without suffering the consequences of discharge and denial of entrance into military service, respectively. This policy is mandated by Public Law 103-160 (Title 10, Subtitle A, Part II, Chapter 37, § 654), which was passed by Congress in 1993.

The most striking findings in support for the incorporation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" into Public Law 103-160 are as follows:

- "Success in combat requires military units that are characterized by high morale, good, order and discipline, and unit cohesion."

- "One of the most critical elements in combat capability is unit cohesion, that is, the bonds of trust among individual service members that make the combat effectiveness of a military unit greater than the sum of the combat effectiveness of the individual unit members."

- "The armed forces must maintain personnel policies that exclude persons whose presence in the armed forces would create an unacceptable risk to the armed forces' high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability."

- "The presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability."

I completely agree with the first two findings, but am offended by the last. I can understand the concern that the military have with the possible problems that could arise from the fact that some service men and women do not understand or accept the lifestyles of homosexuals and bisexuals, but in my opinion this concern is rooted in ignorance and the belief that sexual orientation is a choice. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but their opinions should not result in the oppression of any one human being. I ask, instead of oppressing people for their sexuality, why not educate those that seem unwilling to accept the reality of the situation. This country likes to portray itself as a protector of not only its citizen's human rights, but also those of other countries. Is it not this excuse that many times is used for our presence in countries with oppressive governments? How can we justify having our military service personnel putting their lives in danger to protect the human rights of others when our own government blatantly denies the human rights of their own service men and women?

On May 27, 2010 the House of Representatives, in a vote of 234 to 194, adopted Murphy's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which could in turn lead to the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. In order for consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act to proceed there must be at least 60 Senate votes in favor. Although this may prove to be a huge battle in the war against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", if 60 votes are achieved then cunning Senators in support of the policy can still fight to attach damaging amendments to the defense bill that could render Murphy's amendment irrelevant.

The repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy would be a major accomplishment in the LGBT fight for equal rights. Today it has been estimated that 73 percent of military personnel are accepting of lesbian and gays in the military. Hopefully this finding will come into play when the Senate votes next week, but time and again our country has seen laws passed that the majority of the effected community were opposed to. Let's hope this is not one of those instances.

"Discrimination is an assault on the very notion of human rights. Discrimination is the systematic denial of certain peoples' or groups' full human rights because of who they are or what they believe. It is all too easy to deny a person's human rights if you consider them as 'less than human'." (Amnesty International)

Do your part by calling your state Senator and ask him/her to vote in opposition of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The easiest way to reach your Senator is to call the 24 hour Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Ten minutes of your time can make a huge difference in the life of the men and women who serve and protect our country.