DADT

On Thursday night, May 27, two historic votes occurred that will pave the way for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the failed and harmful policy that bans bisexual, gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the US military.

The House of Representatives voted to include language that repeals DADT in the Defense Authorization bill that subsequently passed with a vote of 229 to 186.  On the same evening, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to include the same language in their version of the Defense Authorization bill.  These are crucial first steps towards a full repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, but the policy remains in place.  Service members are still being fired if they are found to be bisexual, gay or lesbian.  If you or someone you know is serving in the military, please read SLDN’s warning to service members.

The Senate bill is expected to be sent to the floor for a vote later this summer.  If the bill passes the Senate, both bills will be reviewed by a conference committee during the August recess.  The House and Senate will then vote on the conference report, which could conceivably put the Defense Authorization Act on the President’s desk by early October.

Public pressure to repeal DADT has gotten us this far, but we must keep it up if repeal language is to stay intact throughout this process.  In the run up to a Senate vote, the amendments could be weakened or stricken altogether by opponents of repeal.  Even if the amendments go through as part of the final bill, the President and Pentagon leaders must certify that the military is prepared for repeal.   They must show that the change in policy is consistent with current military standards of readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, recruitment and retention.

The Pentagon is studying how to implement repeal and how it will affect service members and their families.  The decision whether or not to certify repeal will be based on the results of this study, which will be submitted on or before December 1, 2010.  60 days after the President transmits his certification to Congress, repeal of DADT will go into effect.

Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will not immediately allow for open service.  It does, however pave the way for the military to put policies and regulations into place allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly.  Several top military officials, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, support full repeal and open service.

Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is only the first step to open and safe service for gay and lesbian soldiers.  The language in the Defense Authorization bills does not require the military to create policy of non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.  As a matter of precedent, the military sets its own non-discrimination policies and federal law has never done so – Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin, has never applied to the armed forces.  Discrimination and harassment in the military based on sexual orientation will take time and effort to eradicate, but last week’s victories present the best opportunity for progress towards this goal in the history of our nation’s military.

The President, top Pentagon leaders, and a majority of members of Congress support DADT repeal.  Those who believe that our military must reflect American values of dignity, integrity and honesty know that open service is the only way to allow all members of the armed forces to live out these values.  As advocates of full equality for bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender people, the UUA and its members are called to support all legislation that protects people from discrimination, violence and exclusion based on their identities.  Click here for more information on the UUA’s work to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

UPDATE: Watch news Coverage of UU Joan Darrah.

Earlier today, Senator Joseph Lieberman introduced legislation in the United States Senate that would end the ban which prevents bisexual, gay and lesbian Americans from serving openly in the military. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Carl Levin, and Roland Burris were among the 11 original co-sponsors of the bill (officially titled the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010), which would repeal the existing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and instead ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

It’s been a busy day for UUs! Retired Navy Captain Joan Darrah, and Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett (ret), both members of the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church in Alexandria, VA, spoke today at two different press events in Washington, D.C. announcing the introduction. Rob Keithan, Director of the UUA Washington Office for Advocacy, sent a letter to all 50 Senators asking them to support the bill. Meanwhile, the House Armed Services Committee held hearings on the version of the bill that is currently before the House of Representatives.

In addition to celebrating this step forward, let’s move our advocacy efforts into high gear. Please take a moment now to email your members of Congress and tell them how important it is that they pass legislation to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010!

On February 2nd before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ADM Mullen, in his testimony about DADT, stated:

“No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity—theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.”

President Obama, Defense Secretary Gates, General Colin Powell, and an overwhelming majority of the American people also support repealing DADT and finally allowing gays to serve openly with honor. It is time for the U.S. Senate to act and our UU voices will make a difference. Please take a minute or two and e-mail or call your Senators and urge them to support legislation to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and vote for repeal this year.

The best way to erase the law from the books in 2010 is for the Obama Administration to include repeal in the defense authorization bill and then for Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to include repeal of the law in the defense bill he reports out of his committee.

Everything about DADT is contrary to everything that Unitarian Universalists stand for. Please make your voice be heard. Thank you for taking action.

Embedded video from CNN Video

Lieutenant Dan Choi is being fired from the New York National Guard because of his sexual orientation. Lt. Choi acknowledges that he is just one of tens of thousands, but we recognize him as a symbol of everything that’s wrong with this policy of forced discrimination. A West Point grad, infantry officer, Arabic linguist, and Iraq vet – whose soldiers know he is gay, and support him – is being dismissed. “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” deprives competent and dedicated service members of their right to employment.

You can speak out today! Ask President Obama not to fire Lt. Choi and to do everything in his power to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”.

Please call the White House Switchboard at 202-456-1111. Click here to learn more.

On Friday March 13^th, Unitarian Universalists joined with hundreds of other Americans at a “Freedom to Serve” rally on Capitol Hill. People from all across the country – military, retired military, federal workers, and civilians – gathered to raise their voices for equality and call upon Congress and President Obama to take action to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” (DADT) the policy which requires the military to fire people if they are discovered to have same sex partners. The message was clear: The time to stop unjust discrimination against gay, lesbian, and bisexual members of the military is now. Guest speakers included Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett, US Navy (Ret) from the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church.

UUs can have a significant impact on this issue. If each and every UU would reach out to his or her Senator and Representative by e-mail, phone, fax and/or letter and encourage them to support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (HR 1283) repealing DADT and replacing it with a policy of non-discrimination, DADT could be repealed during this Congress. Our UU voices can give Congress and our President the courage they need to move this legislation forward. Click here to learn more and take action today.

Yesterday, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (HR 1283) was introduced by Representative Ellen Tauscher from California. This bill enhances the readiness of the Armed Forces by replacing the current policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, referred to as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Click here and search for “HR 1283” to see a summary of the bill and to find out if your representative is among the 121 cosponsors.

For more information on how you can support this bill by asking your representatives to cosponsor and/or vote for it, please see the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) website. SLDN is organizing a rally and lobby day on March 13th in Washington DC in order to gather support for this important piece of legislation. Please come if you are able and stay tuned to our social justice web pages for updated opportunities for action!

Last week, the House Armed Services Committee held its first hearing in fifteen years regarding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a policy put into place in 1993 by President Clinton. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” prevents gay, lesbian and bisexual members of the military from being open about their sexual orientation. Since 1994, over 11,000 people have been discharged from the military due to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

However, last week’s hearing offered a great amount of hope for the future of BGLT service members. Testimony was heard from many, including retired Captain Joan Darrah, United States Navy, a member of the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church in Virginia. The majority of the testimonies presented favored repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a discriminatory policy that not only affects the gay, lesbian, and bisexual members of the military but all of us, whether we are friends with those affected or paying our taxes part of which help fund the firing of gay, lesbian or bisexual service members. As Unitarian Universalists and concerned citizens we must take advantage of our current momentum to take a stand against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1246) would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and replace it with a new provision prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in the Armed Forces. H.R. 1246 would also allow people who have been discharged because of their sexual orientation to apply to rejoin the military. Contact your Representative and Senators today and ask them to support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, H.R. 1246. Let’s work together to make the United States and the Armed Forces a positive place for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation.