As reported in today’s New York Times, the military journal Joint Force Quarterly argues forcefully this month [pdf] for repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Strikingly, as the journal is an official publication of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Times reports it was reviewed by the office of Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
As written in the journal by Air Force colonel Om Prakash: “After a careful examination, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively affected if homosexuals serve openly.”
This is no doubt that the publication of this article is an important step in our work to repeal this discriminatory policy. As the Times noted: “Although the article carries no weight as a matter of policy, it may well signal a shift in the official winds. It won the 2009 Secretary of Defense National Security Essay competition.
Tonight, HRC, in partnership with Servicemembers United, is in San Diego, CA, as part of the Voices of Honor tour. The national tour highlights the discriminatory law that hurts military readiness and national security while putting American soldiers fighting overseas at risk.
Passed in 1993, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law allows gay, lesbian and bisexual service personnel to serve in the armed forces as long as their sexual orientation is not publicly disclosed or discovered. As of 2008, more than 13,000 men and women have been fired from the military because of their sexual orientation, including more than 60 Arabic linguists and nearly 800 other service members in critical occupational fields.
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