The Senate Armed Services Committee Moves Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Forward

A huge victory for LGBT rights came out of the U.S. Senate today, as for the first time in over sixteen years, an effort to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the U.S. military policy that openly discriminates against gay and lesbian soldiers, moved forward legislatively.

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, in an historic vote, approved a measure that will allow repeal language to get attached to the upcoming defense funding bill, in a 16-12 vote. That language will allow Congress to move forward repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" now, and assuming that the language passes both the full U.S. Senate and the full U.S. House (where a vote is imminent), total repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will move on over to the Pentagon and the White House. Both of those bodies are waiting for the completion of a Pentagon-initiated study on how to accommodate a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which is due to be completed in December 2010. After that study finishes, it would be up to the discretion of the White House and the Pentagon when a full repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" would take place.

But advocates are hopeful that it won't take more than three-to-twelve months after that for the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to sign off, given that all three have expressed their support for ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Gay rights groups wasted no time in celebrating the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee's vote today.

“The importance of this vote cannot be overstated — this is the beginning of the end of a shameful ban on open service by lesbian and gay troops that has weakened our national security,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “The stars are aligning to finally restore honor and integrity to those who serve our country so selflessly.”

Aubrey Sarvis from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, echoed that sentiment, but wanted to make it crystal clear that until all ducks are in a row, and the Pentagon signs off on a repeal, that soldiers are still subject to being discharged for coming out of the closet.

"The Senate Armed Services Committee passed a historic roadmap to allowing open military service, but it doesn’t end the discharges.  It is important for all gay and lesbian, active-duty service members, including the reserves and the national guard, to know they’re at risk," Sarvis said. "They must continue to serve in silence under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law that remains on the books.  Congress and the Pentagon need to stay on track to get repeal finalized, hopefully no later than first quarter 2011."

That cautionary tale is welcome, given that repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is far from a reality just yet.

Some conservative legislators in the U.S. Senate, including Sen. John McCain, have said that they'll support a filibuster in order to prevent "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" from being repealed. He was joined by Sen. Robert Wicker, and a number of anti-gay religious groups in urging conservative Senators to filibuster any attempt to lift the military's ban on gay and lesbian soldiers.

"I'll do everything in my power," Sen. McCain said of his efforts to keep "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in place.

That puts Sen. McCain, of course, at odds with almost 80 percent of the country. And that's a fact not lost on the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Rea Carey.

"We thank the committee members who voted to advance the repeal measure, joining with the 78 percent of Americans who believe 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' should become a policy of the past," said Carey. "We call for a prompt vote by the full Senate that will get us even closer to permitting lesbian, gay and bisexual service members to serve openly and honestly."

Join in that call here, by calling for an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" once and for all. Yes, today's vote moves repeal forward. But there's still a whole lot of mountain to climb, as the saying goes.

Photo credit: The U.S. Army