Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

Collateral Damage

It can be said that there is a tax on bigotry -- a surcharge if you will -- imposed on the American people by Congress in order to keep "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in place. Since 1993 the U.S. government has spent nearly $400,000,000 training, discharging, and replacing military personnel who have been kicked-out because of the gay ban. As astronomical as this number is, it does not begin to account for the intangible costs endured by patriotic gay Americans, who are serving their country in war zones around the world. Any assessment of the law's true cost must include the personal sacrifice and private pain that the law inflicts on the lives of these men and women who spend their entire adult life aware of the fact that at any moment any one of their friends, colleagues or commanders might decide to point their finger at them and end their career. The price tag of "Don't Ask, Don’t Tell" runs even deeper than that. Its cost is not borne by just the gay soldier or the lesbian sailor, its burden is also shared by the straight brothers and sisters, the straight mothers and fathers, and, most poignantly, the straight sons and daughters of gay military personnel. In June of last year, SLDN helped publish a groundbreaking article in the Duke Journal of Gender Law and Policy which examined the impact of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on the families of lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. Today, reporter Dana Rudolph shares the story of yet another family and the costs they pay for the privilege of having a loved one who serves their country. Freedom is never free, but it is important to remember that neither is bigotry. -Victor Maldonado

01-10-08