A Voice from Iowa
As a corn-fed Iowa boy, I am proud of the Iowa Supreme Court's unanimous decision for marriage equality. As a D.C. transplant, I am also proud of the D.C. council's preliminary decision to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages.
Yet, there remains a segment of Iowans and D.C. residents who will not be able to fully enjoy these victories. Those in the military are forbidden to marry because it's a direct violation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Fortunately, momentum to get rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is on our side. What stands to slow this momentum toward equality are the same tired arguments of "morale" and "good order and discipline" espoused during the 1993 debates. These arguments, still used 15 years later, continue to be contradicted by countless studies.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes pointedly said, "It is revolting to have no better reason for a rule of law than that so it was laid down in the time of Henry IV. It is still more revolting if the grounds upon which it was laid down have vanished long since, and the rule simply persists from blind imitation of the past." O.W. Holmes, The Path of the Law, 10 Harv. L. Rev. 457, 469 (1897).
It's time for us - for everyone - to open our eyes to the "blind imitation of the past." The time for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is now.
04-14-09 By Eric McCool, SLDN Legal Intern |
1 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.JT in .. on April 16, 2009 at 03.39 pm
That’s quite similar to the response I gave on an Iowa State Univ. LGBTA message board after the decision came out: Most of my friends can get married, but I can’t yet.