Democrats Vow to Repeal Ban on Homosexuals in the Military

Since 08-11-07

By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
August 10, 2007

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200708/POL20070810b.html

(CNSNews.com) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and the other Democratic presidential hopefuls have told homosexual activists that if elected president, they would scrap the law that bars homosexuals from openly serving in the military.

The question came up Thursday night at a Democratic forum in Los Angeles sponsored by Human Rights Campaign, a homosexual advocacy group, and Logo, the gay and lesbian cable network.

Sen. Clinton, a member of the Armed Services Committee, was asked why she hasn't introduced a bill to repeal a law that says homosexuality is incompatible with military service.

She said "in a Republican Congress with a very negative president," a repeal bill is sure to be defeated, but Clinton added that as president, repealing the law would be "one of my highest priorities."

"I want to get it done when I'm president...We're talking about what steps we can take to lay the groundwork so that when we do have a change in the White House...we will be able to move on that," Clinton said.

The answer pleased the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), which is lobbying for repeal of the law barring homosexuals from military service.

"The Democratic candidates for the White House understand that our national security, and our national commitment to equality and opportunity, are both strengthened by repealing this law," said SLDN Communications Director Steve Ralls.

"Our men and women in uniform, and their families and loved ones, are ready for a commander-in-chief who puts qualification ahead of discrimination and military readiness ahead of outdated prejudice."

SLDN says it's time to do away with the "un-American law," which specifically states that "The prohibition against homosexual conduct is a longstanding element of military law that continues to be necessary in the unique circumstances of military service."

Former Sen. John Edwards said he thinks the ban is "not just wrong now; it was wrong when it began [in the Bill Clinton administration] -- it was wrong the whole time."

"I can tell you that I am firmly committed to eliminating 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'" Edwards said on Thursday.

("Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is the Clinton-era enforcement policy designed to accomodate homosexuals wishing to serve in the military. The policy said homosexuals could enlist or stay in the military as long as they did not volunteer that they were homosexual, and recruiters were forbidden from asking about a person's sexual orientation. The law itself says, "A member of the armed forces shall be separated from the armed forces…if…the member has stated that he or she is a homosexual…" The law, which has no title other than "US Code Title 10, Subtitle G, Section 654," is often referred to as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell.")

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) has sponsored a bill to repeal the law. "We should ensure that all men and women who wish to serve in the armed forces are allowed to do so by repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'" he said.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who voted against the measure as a Member of Congress, also endorsed repeal: "When you have an America that is asking men and women to fight and die, the last thing you need to do is give them a lecture on sexual orientation," he said.

Sen. Barack Obama, speaking to reporters after the forum, said he would press the Joint Chiefs of Staff "to call for an end to...'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'" Obama mentioned that the law has cost the military Arabic linguists at a time when they are desperately needed.

In contrast to the Democrats' support for repeal, SLDN noted that each of the Republican presidential candidates wants to maintain the ban on homosexuals serving in the military.

But not all of the Democrats' responses on Thursday night pleased the homosexual community.

Most of the Democratic candidates refused to endorse same-sex marriage. While most of them stand by civil unions, only Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel support same-sex marriage.