Don't Ask Don't Tell: summing up today's news

Hearings on President Obama's proposed repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which was a weak compromise in 1993 that allows openly gay people to serve in the military (as long as they're not open about it, which is grounds for discharge), began today on Capitol Hill at the urging of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

Feministing said that "DADT must be overturned immediately; Senator Carl Levin wrote a persuasive piece in Politico that says, "We should end 'don't ask, don't tell,' and we should do it in a way that honors our nation's values while making it more secure," and points out that "more than 60,000 gays and lesbians are serving today, forced to hide their orientation and at constant risk of losing the chance to serve"; back in October, Meghan McCain wrote in favor of repealing DADT as a national security issue and said, "Let’s give [members of the military] more credit. Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, I suspect it could be said that there is no homophobia in foxholes either"; The American Prospect offers a great analysis of why DADT is damaging, and why its repeal matters for civil rights.

You can also read a compelling report by The Center for American Progress on why DADT should be repealed here. -TLF