A Different View on Don’t Ask Dont’ Tell

The U.S. Army discharged a total of 11 soldiers in the month of January alone for violating the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Democratic Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia has asked for monthly Pentagon updates until the policy is repealed. In a statement released on yesterday, Moran stated the list of those discharged included an intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist, a motor-transport operator and a water-treatment specialist.

Moran asked a House panel that oversees military spending:

“How many more good soldiers are we willing to lose due to a bad policy that makes us less safe and secure?”

The various branches of the military has discharged nearly 10,000 service members under the policy in the past decade, and the Pentagon has not yet released 2008 figures.

There has been various reports from The White House that President Barack Obama has started consulting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen on how to lift the ban, but there hasn’t been any reports on how soon that might happen.

I had the opportunity to speak with a Naval Officer who is gay. I’ll refer to him as Mike to maintain his privacy. He has been in the Navy for 15 years now and he is ecstatic about the possibility of the repeal. Even though, for apparent reasons he is not out, he has a different take on the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.

Whereas many who support equality for the LGBT community, and many in the military have a negative outlook on the current policy, Mike told me that in many ways, the policy has been a good move.

Mike said before the policy, many times people would be kicked out of the military for being gay, even if they didn’t tell. According to Mike, prior to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, there were a group of people, from each branch of the military, that would go “undercover” to find those serving that were gay or lesbian. Speaking specifically about the Navy, Mike said many times while in port, these undercover military “gay” spies would go into the gay and lesbian bars to find soldiers who were visiting the establishments, then report those names back to their superiors, who would in turn start proceedings to have those soldiers discharged. “One positive about the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy that people don’t mention is the ‘don’t ask’ part,” Mike stated. “Prior to the policy, you could be asked, and if you were suspect, then an investigation could be launched, and you could be discharged based upon assumptions. With the policy, if you are asked, that in itself is a violation, and the person who is asking, could face disciplinary actions. The other good part about dont’ ask, is if you are gay or lesbian, and have a picture of your partner in your locker, no one is allowed to ask you if that is your lover, whereas before, no one would ever dream of having a picture up, or even owning a t-shirt with a rainbow on it.”

Mike also addressed how he feels the policy was good for it’s time, as it was progress. Now, he feels it is time again to progress further and repeal the policy allowing gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the military.

I asked Mike what he thought would happen if and when the policy would change and he replied, “I think as with any change, it will take a little time. For some, it may present a problem, but when those who are homophobic see that we (those who are gay) are not trying to jump them in the shower, and everything is the same as it was, it will go away. With every change you have an adjustment period. It’s the duty of the officers who are higher in rank to make sure those transitions happen smoothly. I don’t see any major problems with the repeal, and to be honest, it may present a challenge, but that challenge will work itself out within a matter of months, six months top. It just isn’t that big of an issue, especially with the younger generation. I personally hope the policy is repealed. Again I feel its time, and also, it will mean that I stay in the military. As it is right now, I’m too old to keep my partner a secret. I don’t want to be guarded about how I spend my personal time. My partner is just as much a part of my life as someone’s legal spouse in a heterosexual relationship. If it is not repealed, I will opt out.”

So, for those who are critics of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, perhaps what Mike said is true. It was a good policy, and a step in the right direction for it’s time. As with most things however, the time has come to progress further, and perhaps now the policy is obsolete. Let’s hope the policy is repealed, as this will be a huge step forward in the fight for LGBT equality and inclusion.