Do Repeal [Don't Ask]

Do Repeal [Don't Ask]

Tonight, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted through a provision allowing the Defense Departement to take action to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, the ban on openly gay men and women in the military. Both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and President Obama are supportive of repealing the regulation that originated under President Clinton. The vote was 16-12, with Maine Senator Susan Collins the only Republican to vote for the provision.
As the bill continues on to the full Senate and eventually to the House, it is important to keep in mind why it is imperative the ban is lifted in the military. Thousands of American troops have been kicked out of the armed forces through Don't Ask Don't Tell. Just as, earlier in our nation's history, the military faced a major overhaul when it was desegregated, the armed forces must now end this discrimination of gay soldiers and allow all qualified people to serve together in the military. Even if this takes a long and bitter partisan fight, not unlike that of the sixties as segregation of races was called into question, this is a civil rights issue that deserves to be resolved. It is not patriotic to weaken our military by kicking out qualified soldiers, though it is what some politicians would have you believe. The ridiculous rebuttals offered by politicians to those who are attempting to support the administration in repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell only further clarify the necessity for imminent action. One Congressmen expressed concerns that the rule's repeal would result in "overt" sexual behavior in the military. The idea that gay men and women would encourage more "overt" sexual behavior in the armed forces than straight ones would is completely baseless, and relatively hypocritical. The endless stream of alleged and confirmed affairs of Congressmen demonstrates more "overt" sexual behavior than ever is heard of from the military.