The Wheels are Turning to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

by Michael Jones · 2008-12-16 12:27:00 UTC
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Gays in the militaryThe "Will he or won't he repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell?" question is one of the biggest LGBT issues facing the new Obama administration.  President-Elect Obama has made it clear he disagrees with the discriminatory policy that bans openly gay and lesbian soldiers from serving in the military.  But does he have enough leverage to repeal this policy in his first term?

To go "behind the music" on this issue, so to speak, it looks like the wheels are spinning to do away with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".  Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has started to have conversations with military officials about a possible repeal of the ban, noting that Obama has pledged to address the issue.  It's unclear how far along these talks have gone, though the Times today points out that friends of Mullen have indicated that he is beginning to think about the logistical issues behind overturning the ban on gay and lesbian servicemembers.

Earlier this summer, Obama had this to say about his desire to overturn "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":

I think there's increasing recognition within the Armed Forces that ['Don't Ask'] is a counterproductive strategy...we're spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of the military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need. That doesn't make us more safe, and what I want are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are making decisions based on what strengthens our military and what is going to make us safer, not ideology.

"That doesn't make us more safe." Isn't that the money line right there?  Let's hope that line carries water with the high level military officials that Admiral Mullen is talking to.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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