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Loading ...White House: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” under review
05.22.2009 10:19am EDT
(Washington) The White House is insisting that officials are working to overturn a policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, pushing back against Pentagon assessments a day earlier that such efforts were low priorities and Democratic activists’ complaint of slow progress.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that President Barack Obama is committed to reversing the Clinton-era policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which blocks gays’ service if they disclose their sexual orientation. Congress would have to take action to change the policy. Recent polls indicate the ban and the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy are losing support.“Try as one may, a president can’t simply whisk away standing law of the United States of America,” Gibbs said. “But if you’re going to change the policy, if it is the law of the land, you have to do it through an act of Congress.”
The administration has drawn criticism from gay and lesbian activists for not moving quickly enough to repeal the policy. Democratic activists and fundraisers met last weekend in Texas to coordinate an online campaign known as the Dallas Principles to prod the president.
“We face a historic opportunity to obtain our full civil rights; this is the moment for change,” the group said in a mission statement. “No delay. No excuses.”
Opponents of the policy face challenges, though.
On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the military has no plans to repeal the policy and that the White House had not asked for the 1993 policy to be scrapped.
Two days later, Gibbs said Morrell had backed off that position; Morrell released a statement hours later doing just that.
“President Obama has been clear in his direction to Secretary (Robert) Gates and (Joint Chiefs) Chairman (Mike) Mullen that he is committed to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. He has also been clear that he is committed to do it in a way that is least disruptive to our troops, especially given that they have been simultaneously waging two wars for six years now,” Morrell said.
“Although this will require changes to the law, the secretary and chairman are working to address the challenges associated with implementation of the president’s commitment,” he said.
Even so, retired Marine Gen. James Jones, the White House’s national security adviser, earlier this month told ABC’s “This Week” that he wasn’t sure the policy would be overturned.
“We have a lot on our plate right now,” he said.
©365Gay.com 2009
@ Alan
Alan I’m sorry, but there is no rape epidemic in the military, that’s just plain BS and I believe that your intelligent enough to know that. Now on with my point. I did not say that gay and lesbian people are incapable of being excellent soldiers. I personally don’t have any real strong feelings about the matter either way. With that being said if heterosexual men and women where mandated to sleep and shower together someone would feel very uncomfortable with such a forced intimacy.
Now I am aware that gay people may have served honorably RIGHT BESIDE me in every aspect during my military career. But knowing that my coworker is openly attracted to men or other women would be uncomfortable to say the least, and not just too me.
That is the gist of the matter, it’s not only about how you may feel. Just like an heterosexual woman would feel uncomfortable with some man showering beside her sneaking peeks when she’s not looking neither would I be comfortable. Heterosexual men could sleep and shower with heterosexual women and not sexually assault them while in sleeping quarters or the shower head. Some of you may be gay, but that doesn’t make you sexual deviant predators or future criminals. It’s all about morale and being comfortable around other people.
If the DSDT policy is abolished then other policies should be implemented so that everyone is happy.
This is my opinion, your welcome to yours and I’m welcome to mine. I didn’t come here to start trouble, I clicked this link and that link and I ended up here. Being an ex military man I was curious about the subject topic.
This reply is to Edward’s question:
“If the Don’t ask don’t tell policy is abolished are gay soldiers going to sleep and shower in the same facilities?”
You already do shower,sleep and do your job in the same facilities with LGBT people. They are there to do a job. They are not there to have sex. The only separate showers and sleeping quarters are as they already are.
Most if not ALL LGBT soldiers are not going to try and offend you in any way. This is not the way it seems to be the way with heterosexuals in the armed services. With all the reports that we keep hearing about with rapes and such.
Please realize that if LGBT soldiers are not allowed to serve openly that they have to lie in order to stay in the service. And also realize that if ALL the people that identify as LGBT were kicked out of the service at one time the results would be devastating to our country.That would also mean that it is only the heterosexuals that end up dying just so the LGBT can enjoy their life back here in CONUS.
I suggest that you rethink as to what you have said. Be glad and thankful that those same people that you don’t want to shower with, were there to help cover your lilly white ass when you were getting shot at.
I have a question. I am a heterosexual male who once served in the military. If the Don’t ask don’t tell policy is abolished are gay soldiers going to sleep and shower in the same facilities?
I am attracted to women and would very much enjoy sleeping in the same courters and using the same showers as my female cohorts. But if this sounds unreasonable, why should a straight man or woman have to endure such a thing? What are you guys thought on the matter? Should there be separate shower and sleeping courters for all?