News Archive
Getting Rid of Job Discrimination Creates Jobs (and a Stronger Military)
After January 20, President Obama will have a laser-like focus on what will be the single most important domestic priority: the economy. His emphasis, and the media's, will be on job creation, as it should be. My take on how to create good jobs this year: Repeal the discriminatory law of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
This is the only federal law that forces superiors in the workplace, e.g., military commanders, to immediately fire subordinates for being openly gay. It's in-your-face job discrimination that has kept at least 12,500 gay men and women from serving their country openly. Many more thousands of individuals want to enlist but don't do so because of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Still thousands more do not stay in the military and make it a career. Repeal of the law would melt the Pentagon's current hiring freeze imposed on openly gay people.
...Read MoreSLDN Highlights Flaws in Military Times’ “Poll”
The results of a Military Times "poll" cited in a recent Army Times story rely on flawed polling methodology that lacks any basis in credible, empirical data. Further, the article overlooks the growing support across all levels and branches of the armed forces for repeal of the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) law, which prohibits open service for lesbians and gays. Gary Langer, director of polling for ABC News, writes in a recent blog that the Military Times survey was more of "a woefully incomplete census" of the publication's readers than a true poll.
Reliable and scientifically based polls, on the other hand, consistently reveal a profound and undeniable shift in attitudes among service members, who now support open service regardless of sexual orientation. For example, a December 2006 Zogby poll of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan showed that 73 percent are comfortable with lesbians and gays. Similarly, the 2004 National Annenberg Election Survey reported that 50 percent of junior enlisted personnel believe gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly. This dramatic change represents a three-fold increase in support for open service among junior enlisted personnel, up from just 16 percent in 1992.
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Obama Era Expected to End Taboo of Gays in Military
A poll of some 2,000 active duty military taken in December by the US media group Military Times found that 58 percent opposed the policy of non-discrimination against homosexuals. Twenty-nine percent said they approved the change.
But that lack of support should not impede getting rid of the law, opponents said.
"There will always be some people who will prefer the status quo, but people who preferred segregated units (banned in the US military in 1948) didn't leave the military by and large," notes Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of SLDN.
Obama will have to be firm in his commitment to ending discrimination against gays in the military, he warned, despite a full agenda of burgeoning crises.
"Of course, the economy has to be the first priority, but it's a matter of developing a plan on how to move forward successfully," said Sarvis, who predicted a new law within the year.
"I take the president-elect on his word," he said. "I think he'll do it."
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Military.com: Obama May Lift the Ban
Sixteen years after Bill Clinton tried to end restrictions on gays in the military, the U.S. armed forces under Barack Obama may be forced to give homosexuals the same welcome as non-gays. Under president Clinton, the policy that once saw homosexuals discharged from US military service evolved to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," allowing gays to remain in the military so long as they did not reveal their sexual orientation. The law however still has seen a large number of dismissals of gay service members. Since its enactment, some 12,500 soldiers have been sent packing for acknowledging their homosexuality or after being outed as gay. Those booted included some 800 key jobs such as Arabic translators, medical staff, pilots and intelligence personnel, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group which is fighting to end all restrictions on military service based on sexual orientation. ...Read More
WYOU Discusses “Don’t Ask” Repeal with SLDN’s Aubrey Sarvis
More than 100 retired generals and admirals have called for a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Many believe it's time for gays to serve openly, as they do in Great Britain and Israel. A letter from the retired veterans claims there are about 65,000 gays and lesbians serving in the military. Some say there are enough military regulations to enforce proper behavior and that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" isn't needed. ...Read More
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” an Affront to Our National Security
Change.org guest blogger Janessa Goldbeck writes that 12,500 people have been discharged from the U.S. military under the archaic "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, including 60 Arabic linguists. DADT has been in effect since 1994. With the U.S. fighting two wars, are 12,500 qualified U.S. soldiers being turned away from service enough of a reason to overturn DADT? The answer is a crystal clear yes. Anything less is an affront to our national security. ...Read More
