Gay military ban to be repealed says President Obama; meanwhile 428 discharged in 2009 [video]
“Abroad, America’s greatest source of strength has always been our ideals. The same is true at home. We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution. The notion that we’re 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. If you adhere to our common values, you should be treated no different than anyone else. We must continually renew this promise.
“My administration has a civil rights division that is once again prosecuting civil rights violations in employment discrimination. We finally strengthened our law to prosecute crimes driven by hate.
“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. [applause] It’s the right thing to do.”
US President Barack Obama addressing the current ban on gays in the military. A specific ban on homosexuals has been in place for nearly a hundred years, but it is said to not have been actively enforced until some point during World War II. The so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been in effect since 1993, and according to Wikipedia, over 13,000 have been discharged — and other reports last year suggested that lesbians have been disproportionately affected. One of President Obama’s campaign promises had been to have the blatantly discriminatory military policy repealed. So, far, most military officials have been tight-lipped about the pending change, none of them showing any reaction during Tuesday night’s State of the Nation address. (White House)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen are expected to go before Congress today to discuss policy changes. A brief military memo was leaked to the public two weeks ago. It contained some questionable proposals including saying “now is not the time” because of conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, creating separate showers, banning public affection, and a question about the impact of laws of other nations where gay servicemembers might be stationed.
”Figures released Monday show that 428 people were discharged from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines last year for violating the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The total is about one-third lower than in 2008, when 619 people were discharged.”
Washington Post article discussing last year’s discharges from the military for it’s continuing policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — a 1993 law signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton. That law was meant to be a compromise between Clinton’s desire to be rid of the ban on homosexuals in the armed forces and Congress’ conservatives and military elite who objected. Clinton famously responded last Augustto a gay activist about the gay community: “You couldn’t deliver me any support in the Congress!”
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