The ugly side of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is on display at the George Washington University. Freshman Todd Belok was dismissed from GW’s Navy ROTC program after two fellow midshipmen saw Belok, who is gay, kissing another male at a party (” ‘Don’t Ask’ hits home for NROTC,” Feb. 12, p. 1).
The 16-year old policy, reached as a compromise in the early months of the Clinton presidency, is a relic of an earlier era in which cultural wars polarized the country and the notion of equality for gays and lesbians was not as widely accepted as it is today. Congress should use this as a reminder of the necessity to repeal this policy for several reasons.
First, an estimated more than 10,000 Americans have been discharged from the military for being gay. This includes dozens of Arabic and Farsi specialists at a time when the military faces an acute shortage of linguists. All of this has cost the United States almost $400 million to recruit and train replacements, according to a commissioned study that included former Pentagon officials.
Second, by having a policy that discriminates against gays, the United States finds itself aligned with a country like Iran, hardly a bastion of liberal, Western values. On the opposite side are three of the United States’ closest global allies – the United Kingdom, Australia and Israel – all of which allow gays to serve openly in the military. In Israel, where military service is mandatory, gays have been allowed to serve since 1993, the same year that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was implemented in the United States. By most accounts, Israelis are satisfied with their policy and sexual orientation is a non-issue in the Israeli Defense Forces.
Third, many of the architects of the policy have changed course and reversed their positions in the last decade. Most prominent among them are John Shalikashvili and Colin Powell, both of whom served back-to-back as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the early 1990s and supported the policy at the time. But both men have now spoken about how military attitudes have changed in the last sixteen years and called for a review of the policy. Shalikashvili has concluded that gays and lesbians serving openly in the military today “would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces.” Other conservative pundits such as military expert Max Boot have reached the same conclusion.
Since it is a law, it is up to Congress to repeal it. Rep. Ellen Tauscher has announced plans to introduce a bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the coming weeks. In past years, similar bills have gathered as many as 149 co-sponsors, including prominent Republicans such as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.
The events at GW remind us of the urgency to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Belok, whose grandfather served in World War II, has dreamed of serving in the Navy since his early teen years. The experience of being kicked out of ROTC has not left him bitter though. He told The Hatchet that he will serve in the Navy someday, when the policy changes. The United States cannot afford to wait.
The writer is a first-year law student.
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