It's time to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

It’s not surprising that the recent survey done within the U.S. military has shown a wider acceptance of gay colleagues entering their ranks than opponents of the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell†policy would have imagined. What is surprising is that there are still elected officials in Washington who believe the U.S. military, whose members sacrifice so much to protect the rights of their fellow citizens, should be free to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

Certainly it’s incumbent upon the businesses where the rest of Americans work, and where most of those now in the military worked before entering its ranks, to avoid such discrimination. Why shouldn’t the military be held to the same standards?

The U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov) unsurprisingly has quite an extensive set of regulations built around employment rights and discrimination. The federal agency that oversees compliance with labor laws and regulations is the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Here is the beginning of its mission description:

“The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) enforces the Executive Order 11246, as amended ... these laws ban discrimination and require federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to ensure that all individuals have an equal opportunity for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran.â€

The regulations go on to describe in detail many varied yet specific groups that deserve equal opportunity, from Native Americans to women to immigrant populations. Are we as Americans meant to believe that all these groups are worthy of fair treatment only if they are heterosexual? Still, members of Congress — the majority of whom are white, heterosexual males — seem to think it is their duty to apply a pre-Archie Bunker mentality when dealing with the issue of gay soldiers. Sen. John McCain is one of the most egregious offenders, flip-flopping on the issue to satisfy partisan attack dogs who are on the wrong side of history.

The whole concept of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell†is in itself one that robs those affected of their freedom and their rights. Gay and lesbian soldiers should not have to lie about their lives in order to remain in the military. Both American society and the military have evolved over time to include other groups previously thought not to be deserving of equality and justice, such as women, African-Americans and Latinos. Such a policy as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,†of course, wouldn’t be so simple to apply to these groups in the normal course of events. Their identities are generally quite open and defined.

Gay citizens, however, may live their lives in a compartmentalized way, without revealing their sexual orientation to their colleagues. The military has required them to do that for too long. It’s time to give gay and lesbian soldiers the freedom to speak openly with their partners-in-arms about their lives at home. It’s time to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.â€