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(Washington) As the nation observes the
sacrifices of those in the military this Memorial Day, hundreds of gay and
lesbian veterans are remembering LGBT fallen comrades.
It is impossible to make even a guess at the
number of gays who have served their country in uniform since the American
Revolution, but what is known is that openly gay officers have routinely been
drummed out of the service. Even "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" the legislation
signed by President Clinton that was to removed the military's right to
capriciously investigate the private lives of those in the military is a
failure.
Last week a group advocating for LGBTs in the
military said that newly released data for 2005 shows that an average of two
people a day are being discharged for being gay.
A total of 742 military personnel were discharged
under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2005, up from 668 discharges among
the services in 2004, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said.
According to an analysis of 2000 census data by
statistician Gary Gates, there are currently 65,000 gays serving in the armed
forces.
A study done last year by the Government
Accountability Office showed that more than 10,000 service members have been
discharged over the last 10 years under "don't ask, don't tell".
The GAO also reported that it has cost taxpayers
more than $200 million to recruit replacements for LGBT enlisted service members
who were discharged.
Yet, while the Pentagon refuses to consider
lifting the ban on out gays serving, it acknowledges that it is unable meet to
its recruitment goals
According to Gates, an additional 41,000 lesbian
and gay Americans may enlist for military service if the ban were repealed.
A bi-partisan coalition in Congress now supports
legislation to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. The
Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1059), introduced in March 2005 by
Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA) now has 116 supporters, including five
Republican lawmakers.
The ban on gays is also being challenged in
court. SLDN which is representing 12 former members of the military who want to
return to active duty said it would appeal a decision last month to dismiss a
lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of DADT.
A similar suit is under way in California,
brought by Log Cabin Republicans on behalf of its members who are in the
military.
©365Gay.com 2006
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