Latest News
01-08-09
By Aubrey Sarvis
SLDN Executive Director
Google News
January 8, 2009
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.
Furthermore, our military is strained-a point upon which progressives and conservatives agree. We need a lot more good men-and women-to enlist and stay in the military. (Recruiting serious felons, by the way, is not the answer. In 2007, moral waivers were granted to 14,000 recruits with criminal records. Mind boggling.) Lifting the ban to include highly qualified, stellar recruits is the answer.
More than 100 retired generals and admirals agree the law is antiquated and doesn't work. (See their letter here). Seventy-five percent of the American public, including conservatives, Republicans, and evangelicals, surveyed last summer believe gay and lesbian Americans should be able to serve openly.
I understand the breath of challenges the new president and Congress face. But there is no good reason why "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" can't be taken up by Congress and the White House in 2009. Obama himself has said repeatedly the new president must be able to do more than one thing at a time. Repeal of the law can't wait until 2011 or 2012.
I ask anyone-gay or straight-concerned about a stronger military and job discrimination to join us.
Getting Rid of Job Discrimination Creates Jobs (and a Stronger Military)
By Aubrey Sarvis
SLDN Executive Director
Google News
January 8, 2009
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.
Furthermore, our military is strained-a point upon which progressives and conservatives agree. We need a lot more good men-and women-to enlist and stay in the military. (Recruiting serious felons, by the way, is not the answer. In 2007, moral waivers were granted to 14,000 recruits with criminal records. Mind boggling.) Lifting the ban to include highly qualified, stellar recruits is the answer.
More than 100 retired generals and admirals agree the law is antiquated and doesn't work. (See their letter here). Seventy-five percent of the American public, including conservatives, Republicans, and evangelicals, surveyed last summer believe gay and lesbian Americans should be able to serve openly.
I understand the breath of challenges the new president and Congress face. But there is no good reason why "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" can't be taken up by Congress and the White House in 2009. Obama himself has said repeatedly the new president must be able to do more than one thing at a time. Repeal of the law can't wait until 2011 or 2012.
I ask anyone-gay or straight-concerned about a stronger military and job discrimination to join us.
