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Lewiston Tribune: Gays in the military: shifting views
The American people might have changed their minds about the wisdom of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay and lesbian members, but Idaho's Sen. Larry Craig and right-wing activist Elaine Donnelly have not.
Craig and Donnelly oppose permitting openly gay people to serve in the armed forces.
The only trouble is, Donnelly, founder and president of the Center for Military Readiness, uses Craig's 2007 arrest in an airport men's room sex sting, and subsequent guilty plea, as evidence for her case.
If entrapment and criminal prosecution of people suspected of being homosexual in an airport rest room is unfair, as Craig maintained during interviews after his conviction became known, how can it be fair to drum such people out of the armed forces?
Most Americans know the answer: It can't. This month, a Washington Post-ABC News poll revealed that 78 percent of Americans now believe homosexuals who do not publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve in the military. And 75 percent said homosexuals who do disclose it should be permitted to serve.
That's a big change from 1993, when the "don't ask, don't tell" law was passed. At that time, 44 percent favored permitting openly gay people to serve, and 55 percent opposed it.
