‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Hurts Texas Soldiers

By James C. Harrington and Elliot Cole

As Congress debates the merits of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), military officials, politicians, legal experts, and pundits will expound on their beliefs on whether or not the policy change is viable or moral.

In the midst of these politically-charged monologues and sometimes partisan tomfoolery, some members of Congress will shy away from the subject; some military representatives will stall; and some pundits will beat the “sky is falling” drums.

In so doing, they will be cheating the American people. DADT needs to be rescinded immediately. Not tomorrow, but today.

Congress passed the policy in 1993. DADT prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the military. At the time, public sentiment favored the law as a compromise, but that compromise quickly degenerated into an ill-conceived witch-hunt. DADT has now come under public scrutiny again and under challenge in court.

More than 13,000 dedicated members of the military have been discharged under DADT. Among them are much-needed Arabic-translators, chemical warfare specialists, nuclear power engineers, and rocket specialists. All highly competent individuals, and important to our national security. But they happen to be gay, and thus cannot serve their country.

In Texas, 106 people were discharged from Ft. Hood alone between 1998 and 2003. Another 43 were discharged from Fort Bliss and 17 from Fort Sam Houston during that span. We have lost officers and infantrymen. We removed aviators, communications specialists, and language interrogators. Just as importantly, we lost our sense of what is right.

Despite fighting a war on two fronts, Texas Senator John Cornyn recently reiterated his support for DADT. Thankfully, other Texan leaders in Congress have stepped forward to support overturning the policy. They recognize the adverse impact DADT has on our national security, our conscience, and our military.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the current Joint Chief of Staff, testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.” Other representatives of the military have expressed similar sentiments, imploring Congress to overturn a policy that forces soldiers to lie and weakens our armed forces.

In 1993, Dr. Greg Herek testified as the representative of the American Psychological Association that there is no correlation between sexuality and ability to serve in the military. The only issue, it seems, is Congress’s willingness to end this inexcusable prejudice. Public polls reveal a solid majority in favor of overturning the policy.

Congress needs to realize what most Americans already know: DADT is a threat to our security and our identity. The United States is one of a handful of countries that don’t allow homosexuals in the military, while dozens of other countries have overturned such policies – some, long ago. Given the heightened need for domestic protection, it is contradictory and unreasonable for this policy to hold dominion.

It’s time for Congress to finally put DADT behind us, to prevent this issue from being buried under the heap of partisan political dissuasion and pundits’ bigotry.

It’s time to repeal DADT, so we can say proudly that our military forces welcome all qualified individuals who want to serve and whose service the country needs.

James Harrington is director of the Texas Civil Rights Project. Elliott Cole is a community education fellow at the Texas Civil Rights Project.