1 Center for American Progress | The Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—1 Year Later
The Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—1 Year Later
Crosby Burns and Alex Rothman September 20, 2012
One year ago oday he ban on openly gay miliary servicealso known as Don’ Ask, Don’ ell, or DADcame o an end as he law’s repeal finally wen ino effec. From ha poin on, gay men and women have been able o serve heir counry openly, hon-esly, and, or he firs ime, wihou punishmen.
1
Te ransiion o open service has proceeded smoohly over he pas 12 monhs despie doomsday predicions by supporers o he gay ban. In he years leading up o repeal, pro-ponens o Don’ Ask, Don’ ell repeaedly claimed ha open service would undermine he uni cohesion and readiness o he U.S. miliary. Bu no repuable sudy ever showed ha allowing service by openly gay personnel compromises miliary effeciveness.
2
Moreover, hey coninued o make hese claims even afer he Penagon released a comprehensive pre-repeal survey o service members revealing ha he vas majoriy o roops were already serving wih someone hey knew o be gay or lesbian, and ha doing so in no way hreaened uni cohesion or miliary readiness. Tey also made hese asserions despie he ac ha some o our closes oreign allies repealed heir gay bans wihou any impac o uni cohesion or miliary readiness. One year laer i is clear ha gay and lesbian roops were never a hrea o miliary readi-ness, and his week he firs academic sudy o he issue ound ha U.S. naional securiy has been enhanced by he realiy o open service, no diminished by i. One year laer our armed orces are sronger hanks o he honorable service o openly gay men and women. Our miliary no longer urns away Americans willing o serve heir counry because o heir sexual orienaion. Our miliary no longer orces ou oherwise qualified roops–including hose wih “mission criical” skills such as engineers or Arabic linguiss–simply because hey are gay. And our miliary no longer squanders millions o axpayer dollars o enorce a flawed policy ha asked roops o lie abou who hey are.In shor our counry is beter off oday han i was one year ago when he ban on openly gay service coninued o exis. Even in a pos-DAD world, however, oudaed laws and
2 Center for American Progress | The Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—1 Year Later
policies sill preven gay service members and heir amilies rom accessing he benefis afforded o heir sraigh counerpars.
Open service has enhanced our national security
Las week he Palm Ceneran academic research insiue a he Universiy o Caliornia, Sana Barbarareleased he firs comprehensive sudy o he effecs o he DAD repeal on miliary readiness. o measure he impac o open service on miliary readiness, he auhors o he sudy polled and inerviewed acive-duy service members, observed miliary unis, and me wih represenaives rom major organizaions on boh sides o he DAD debae over he pas six monhs. Teir findings were clear: “DAD repeal has enhanced he miliary’s abiliy o pursue is mission.”
3
Te Palm Cener concludes ha DAD repeal has had “no negaive effec” on any com-ponen o miliary readiness, including “cohesion, recruimen, reenion, assauls, harass-men or morale.”
4
Repeal has no sparked mass resignaions in he ranks or a widespread decrease in morale; roops are jus as likely o re-enlis as hey were pre-repeal.
5
Nor has open service caused a jump in anigay violence. In ac some gay service members appear o eel beter able o resolve dispues relaing o heir sexual orienaion under he new policy.
6
Perhaps mos imporanly, he sudy finds ha DAD repeal “has no had any discernible impac, eiher posiive or negaive, on recruimen or reenion.”
7
Te U.S. miliary’s smooh ransiion o open service is ar rom surprising. Even beore repeal, decades o sudies, as well as he experiences o some o our closes allies, pro- vided overwhelming evidence ha dropping he gay ban would no undermine U.S. naional securiy. Te Unied Kingdom, Canada, and Israelhree close U.S. allies wih similarly sruc-ured miliarieshave long allowed gay and lesbian roops o serve openly.
8
As a resul, U.S. service members have been serving admirably openly gay oreign roops in coali-ion effors in Iraq and Aghanisan or years. Moreover, in 2010, wih he Obama adminisraion pushing or repeal, he Penagon launched a yearlong sudy on he consequences o ending Don’ Ask, Don’ ell. Te resuls, released in November 2010, se he sage or repeal. Sixy-nine percen o roops polled said hey were already working in a uni wih someone hey believed o be gay or lesbian. An asounding 92 percen o hose individuals believed heir uni’s “abil-iy o work ogeher” was eiher “very good,” “good,” or “neiher good nor poor”his includes 89 percen o hose in Army comba arms unis and 84 percen o hose in Marine comba arms unis.
9
3 Center for American Progress | The Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—1 Year Later
Over he pas wo years, he miliary admirably worked o implemen he repeal o Don’ Ask, Don’ ell. And allowing gay and lesbian men and women o proudly serve heir counry has proved o be no only a moral vicory bu also a vicory in he Unied Saes’ long-erm securiy ineress. Te counry will no longer lose counless qualified men and women each year due o his discriminaory policy.
Even with open service, gay service members do not have equal access to military benefits
While gay service members can now serve heir counry openly and honesly, hey are sill no afforded he same benefis ha heir sraigh counerpars receive. Miliary personnel have access o imporan benefis ha offer employmen securiy and financial suppor o hem and heir amilies. Tese benefis include housing allowances, ravel and relocaion assisance, and miliary healh insurance.
10
Bu even under open service, gay service members and heir amilies do no have equal access o miliary benefis.
11
Te primary reason or his inequiable access is he Deense o Marriage Ac, or DOMA, a ederal law ha defines marriage solely as he union beween one man and one woman. Under his exclusive definiion, same-sex couples–even hose who are legally married–canno access a range o ederal benefis normally afforded o married couples, including governmen programs and ax breaks.For gay members o he armed orces, he governmen canno offer benefis such as healh care o same-sex parners (and poenially o heir children) because hose benefis operae under he Deense o Marriage Ac’s resricive definiion o “spouse.” Luckily, oher benefis are no linked o he ac and can be exended o same-sex par-ners and legally recognized children. Te Penagon Working Group (PWG)–a commis-sion asked wih developing comprehensive recommendaions or implemening DAD repeal–divided benefis ino hree broad caegories or gay service members:
12
•
Benefits that cannot be extended to same-sex partners.
Tese benefis are governed by ederal saue and specifically include “spouse” wihin heir definiion o depen-den. Because o he Deense o Marriage Ac, gay service members and heir amilies do no have equal access o hese benefis. Tese include he Basic Allowance or Housing, healh insurance benefis hrough RICARE, and counless benefis or miliary veerans and heir amilies.
•
Benefits that are not prohibited by statute, but are currently not extended to same-sex partners under Pentagon regulations.
Deparmen o Deense regulaions ie cer-ain benefis o he governmen’s resricive definiion o “spouse” under he Deense
Reward Your Curiosity
Everything you want to read.
Anytime. Anywhere. Any device.
No Commitment. Cancel anytime.