By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:40am
Late last week, the Pentagon sent a 44-question survey to roughly 150,000 military spouses as part of the ongoing review of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," (DADT) and what impact repeal will have on such factors as military readiness and retention.
The obvious flaw in this survey is that it presumably won't be going to any spouses or partners of gay and lesbian servicemembers. Hearing their perspectives on how DADT impacts them and their loved ones would be an invaluable addition to this discussion.
By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 12:09pm
Earlier this week, the online collection Comics with Problems released the ironically titled "Dignity and Respect: A Training Guide on Homosexual Conduct Policy." The colorful, wordy comic from 2001 was published by the Army to educate soldiers about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and how it is enforced and carried out. On the inside cover, in big, bold letters, is written:
By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 1:29pm
Following the recent votes by the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee to allow for a repeal of the discriminatory and counterproductive policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," (DADT) you may be asking yourself, "Where do we go from here?"
The next showdown over the issue is likely to take place on the floor of the Senate, where opponents of repeal, led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), have vowed to try and strip the repeal language currently contained in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) from the legislation, or offer a "poison pill" amendment to make it difficult or impossible to actually move forward with a policy of open service for those who are gay, lesbian and bisexual.
Last night, by 234 – 194, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill that paves the way to end the ban on gay and lesbian servicemembers. The Senate Armed Services Committee also passed a similar amendment Thursday afternoon. The Defense Authorization Bill is now up for a full vote this afternoon in the House, and a vote in the Senate is likely in early June. Here's why it is so important for Congress to get rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell once and for all.
By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:06pm
Rachel Maddow had two guests on her show last night expressing their support for repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) this year. You may be asking yourself what is so surprising about Rachel Maddow having guests on her show who support repealing DADT. I mean, she’s gay!
Well, both Jim Hanson and J.D. Johannes are former members of the armed forces and are now prominent military bloggers. They joined with more than a dozen other military bloggers in signing a joint statement supporting efforts to repeal DADT. The statement reads in part:
By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 1:29pm
In the nearly 17 years that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) has been the discriminatory, counterproductive law of the land, opponents have never been as close to repealing the policy as they are today.
Both the House and Senate are expected to have decisive votes on repealing DADT this week, beginning the process of ending this harmful policy once and for all.
By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:50pm
The Advocate reported late on Tuesday that Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) continues to favor pressing forward with a legislative repeal of the discriminatory and counterproductive "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) this year.
By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:30pm
Earlier this month, President Obama asked the Department of Health and Human Services to order all hospitals that participate in Medicaid and Medicare to allow patients to designate who shall be allowed to visit them and make medical decisions on their behalf. This is one of the most pro-LGBT rights policies so far adopted by the Obama administration. Another important advancement was the decision to explicitly ban employment discrimination in federal jobs based on gender identity. While there have been important and meaningful changes announced since the start of President Obama's administration for the LGBT community, action in Congress has not been nearly to the level that it should.
By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 10:24am
Early Thursday morning, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced several changes to the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) regulations that are designed to carry out the current discriminatory law in a "fairer and more appropriate manner." Spencer Ackerman, writing for The Washington Independent, concludes that the changes will effectively make it more difficult to remove a soldier, sailor, airman or marine who does not out himself or herself as gay. Here's hoping…
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