Another Breakthrough: Reserve Officers Association Changes Position on Gays in Military
The Reserve Officers Association, a national veterans group founded in 1922 and chartered by Congress in 1950, voted today to rescind its previous call for complete exclusion of gays and lesbians serving in the U.S. military. The association also rejected a proposal to endorse the current "don't ask, don't tell" law (DADT), which permits gays and lesbians to serve, provided they keep silent about their sexual orientation.
SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis explains the significance of today's ROA decision.
"This is a major breakthrough for proponents of repealing DADT. Clearly, the association heard Sec. Gates, Admiral Mullen, and Gen. Colin Powell last week. ROA's decision is by no means a full victory, but clearly is a concrete indication that the opposition to open service is crumbling, even within one of the largest and oldest military organizations."
Previously, ROA had urged Congress "to exclude homosexuals from induction, enlistment, commissioning, and continued service in the Armed Forces of the United States." This was U.S. government policy prior to the introduction of DADT in 1993.
A revised proposal “to make no changes to the current [DADT] law” was also voted down. As a result, the ROA now takes no position on current proposals to repeal DADT.
02-10-10 By Kevin Nix, Communications Director |
8 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.J.L Emanuel on February 16, 2010 at 05.23 am
I am pleased to hear about the ROA’s change in policy. The bottom line is that DADT asks servicemembers to deny who they are. Its application to reservists highlights how silly the policy is.
Many reservists interact with openly gay individuals on a daily basis while performing their non-military jobs. Do we really believe that they will not be able to do so when they are performing their military duties?
The argument that having gays serve openly will detract from unit cohesion does not stand up under scrutiny. Gays serve openly in other countries’ militaries and it is time we put an end to this senseless discrimination in ours.
MAJ J.L. Emanuel
US Army
Student, ILE Class 10-01
Fort Gordon, GA
The views expressed above are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the US Government.
Dino in Washington, DC on February 13, 2010 at 04.47 pm
Exactly T2!!! Thanks for mentioning the police departments. Many big city metropolitian police departments have nondiscrimination policies on the basis of sexual orientation and have out gay and lesbian officers. Take Los Angeles for example. The city passed a Human Rights Ordinance in 1979, not without controversy, and arguements were made that the citie’s police department should be exempt. The arguments were made for the SAME reasons as keeping don’t ask don’t tell on the books: morale, good order, discipline and exodus of officers from the force, etc. etc. Today, the LAPD actively recruits gay and lesbian cops. Major cities in the US like Los Angeles, Washington, DC, New York NY and Chicago for example have nondiscrimations policies with out gay and lesbian police officers. Technically, an out officer in any one of those cities is deemed fit to patrol rough areas, fight drug lords and gangs and some really dangerous people, but that same cop isn’t officially fit to serve as a file clerk, medic or cook in a Stateside National Guard Armory. Go figure!!
T2 in DC on February 13, 2010 at 03.14 pm
This is promising news. DADT impacts members of the Reserve in unique ways. In states where Gay Marriage is legal and in corporations or civilian organizations that offer partner benefits, Reservists cannot be “full” members of their local community because it is not compatible with DADT. A military policeman who is also a cop in DC is covered by the department’s nondiscrimination policy but can’t really live his or her life fully because someone back at the Reserve unit might figure out that SGT Doe lives with his partner rather than with his “roommate” or that SGT Doe doesn’t get TRICARE Reserve Select because he is covered his partner’s insurance plan. Hats off to ROA for acknowledging that DADT isn’t the best approach within the Reserves to retain the best human capital.
Dino in Washington, DC on February 12, 2010 at 03.34 pm
I would urge people to contact the American Legion and urge them to do the same as the Reserve Officers Association. Their Annual Washington Conference is February 24th to March 3rd and it will be held at the Renaissance Washington. The number to call is 202-861-2700 and to send an email go to http://www.legion.org/contact and click on Legislative:Federal Government Issues & Legislation.
Dino in Washington, DC on February 12, 2010 at 02.35 am
The ROAs decision to discontinue the endorsement of don’t ask don’t tell will have all the more gravity and significance if we make it known. It is just one more piece of ammunition to use in the crumbling of this discriminatory law. I viewed their website http://www.roa.org and I didn’t see it posted. I did send them an email and offer them my thanks and gratitude.
ad in Midwest on February 11, 2010 at 08.45 pm
As a member of ROA, who knows many of the movers and shakers in the organization that would have been present for this vote at the convention, I’m in utter shock. For these old dodgers to not renew the resolution to keep DADT should not be overlooked. Granted, this does not mean that ROA will now actively lobby Congress for repeal, but it is a sign of change in attitudes.
Reserve NCO on February 11, 2010 at 02.03 am
Great news indeed. Hopefully Congress will do the right thing this year, and vote out this degrating and discriminatory policy. Let us hope that there are logical and reasonable Republicans that will step up.
Bill on February 10, 2010 at 10.25 pm
Great news. Reasons for being against sexual orientation equality in the armed services usually fall under ignorance, bigotry or political cowardice. It appears the Reserve Officers Association opposed ending DADT from ignorance because when the highest military leadership (President, Sec. of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) concluded the DADT law is bad, the ROA accepted that view and became neutral on the subject. I suspect in the ranks of the ROA there remains a bigoted minority, but it appears to have been bypassed by facts and logic. Let’s hope diminishing ignorance becomes a trend, perhaps growing among a few brave Republican Senators who are so essential to ending Congressional gridlock. Ideally the enlightened Republican Senators would be led by those currently carrying military rank.