President Revisits 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy for Gays in the Military

"We cannot afford to cut from our ranks people with the critical skills we need to fight any more than we can afford -- for our military's integrity -- to force those willing to do so into careers encumbered and compromised by having to live a lie," President Obama told the crowd. 
 
The president also said that he wanted to push Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal ban on the recognition of same-sex marriages which was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1996. 
 
The gay community overwhelmingly supported President Obama in the 2008 election and many have since expressed disappointment at the White House's failure to be more aggressive in promoting gay rights. 

'Don't ask, don't tell' intended as compromise

	President Clinton disappointed many gay rights advocates after reneging on his promise to allow gay soldiers to serve openly.

Until 1981, the role of gay soldiers in the military had been in flux, with relaxed regulations during times of war. In 1981, the Department of Defense passed a regulation stating that "homosexual conduct...adversely affects the ability of the armed forces to maintain discipline, good order, and morale." 
 
Former President Clinton had promised to allow gay soldiers to serve openly in the military while campaigning for the presidency in 1992. But in 1993, he signed the "don't ask, don't tell" policy into law, which was intended to be a compromise between those who wanted to see gay men and women serve and those who argued that it would be bad for unit cohesion and morale.  
 
The measure, drafted by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, stated that while military officers would no longer ask recruits about their sexual orientation, "the military will discharge members who engage in homosexual conduct." 
 
Servicemen and women are expected to keep their homosexuality a secret and are subject to discharge if it is revealed. 

Support for repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'

	Iraq war veteran Dan Choi was discharged from the military after he came out on a cable TV show and has since become an activist against the policy.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama vowed to ask military officials and members of Congress to repeal the law.

According to the Center for American Progress, more than 265 service members have been discharged under the controversial regulation since President Obama's inauguration. More than 13,000 men and women have been forced out of the military since its enactment more than 16 years ago.

Increasingly, former members of the military and retired officials have spoken out against the policy, arguing that while the U.S. wages wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, it cannot afford to discriminate against gays and lesbians. 
 
Critics of the policy often quote the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, a major general nicknamed "Mr. Conservative," who said, "You don’t have to be straight in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight." 

Members of Congress are divided on whether it is a good time to pass a law repealing the ban, hoping the military will come to a decision and provide political cover.  

"It's my belief that, if the policy, you don't have buy-in by the military, that's a disservice to the people in the military," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has said. "They should be included in this. I am open-minded to what the military may suggest. But I can tell you, I'm not going to make policy based on a campaign rally."

U.S. public opinion on gay rights

	Although the federal government does not recognize any same-sex marriages, several individual states do.

According to a 2008 Washington Post-ABC News Poll, 75 percent of Americans believe that gay members of the military should be permitted to be open about their sexual orientation. 62 percent said so in 2001 and 44 percent in 1993. 
 
On other gay rights issues, however, Americans remain largely divided. According to a 2009 Pew Research Center Poll, 49 percent of Americans believe homosexuality is morally wrong, while 35 percent believe it is not a moral issue. The poll showed that 57 percent of Americans support civil unions – which come with many of the same legal protections and benefits as heterosexual marriage -- between gay couples, but the majority opposes labeling those relationships as "marriages."