Drawbacks related to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and a new bill that seeks to repeal it were the topics of the month at The Center’s Community Coalition Breakfast on Jan. 20.

The Military Readiness Act, HR 1059, which was introduced by Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., in the U.S. House of Representatives, seeks to repeal the DADT policy so that lesbian, gay and bisexual service members would be allowed to serve openly in the military. HR 1059 amends Title 10 in the United States Code to enhance the readiness of the armed forces by replacing DADT, enacted in 1993, with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The bill began with 57 original co-sponsors in the House and now has 109.

Admiral Al Steinman, a member of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network’s honorary board of directors and the American Veterans for Equal Rights Puget Sound, explained the current provisions of DADT, which include “Don’t Harass” and “Don’t Pursue.”

A retired medical doctor and U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral, Steinman was one of three retired military personnel who came out nationally in a New York Times article in December 2003 to mark the 10-year anniversary of DADT.

“The Defense Department executed a very effective anti-harassment action plan, which, if they followed it, would be a great idea. But, unfortunately, they have not been aggressive in enforcing ‘Don’t Harass,’” said Steinman, who cited the murder of Barry Winchell in July 1999 and the recent alleged anti-gay attack on Army soldier Kyle Lawson in Arizona as examples.

Winchell was killed in his sleep after being repeatedly struck in the head with a baseball bat by Calvin Glover at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

Lawson, allegedly attacked by a soldier who learned Lawson is gay, was discharged from the Army earlier this month at his own request, saying he didn’t feel safe serving anymore.

Steinman said the underlying assumption of DADT is that moral will, cohesion, combat effectiveness and combat readiness would be compromised if gays, lesbians and bisexuals served openly in the military.

“That was the assumption…. However, there have been no military studies demonstrating that would be true,” Steinman said. “… There is this assumption that if someone knows we’re there it’s going to destroy the combat readiness. That means that in order for us to serve under DADT, we have to be silent and celibate.”

Military law – the Uniform Code of Military Justice – prohibits homosexual conduct and sodomy.

Steinman said the act of one service member telling another that they are gay, lesbian or bisexual is considered to be homosexual conduct and also grounds for dismissal.

Military discharges associated with DADT cost the armed forces $23.1 million in 2003, and has cost $281.5 million since its inception in 1994, Steinman said. According to the General Accounting Office, American taxpayers spend more than $30 million each year to train replacements for gay, lesbian and bisexual troops discharged under the policy.

Over 10,000 service members have been discharged since the policy was implemented, according to SLDN’s 10th annual report. There were 787 discharges in 2003, the report said.

Women are disproportionately affected by DADT, who account for 30 percent of discharges but make up only 15 percent of the military, according to the report. Because 70 percent of military personnel are under the age of 30, Steinman said a significant percentage of youth are kicked out or leave because of DADT.

Since the start of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has discharged the least amount of service members under DADT since 1995. According to SLDN, in the 2003 fiscal year, discharges were down 17 percent from 2002, and 39 percent from 2001.

Although fewer service members have been thrown out under DADT since the war began, Steinman questioned the logic of continuing the policy when it is clear the U.S. is hurting for more troops.

“The military has a difficult time now recruiting and retaining quality people,” Steinman said. “We’re openly dependent on the National Guard and Reserves extending multiple tours. Why are we kicking out gay service members, particularly when they have talent?”

SLDN has maintained that banning gay, lesbian and bisexual service members hurts military readiness by disqualifying thousands of Americans from military service.

Since 1998, the military has discharged 26 Arabic and Farsi linguists under DADT and 54 overall, while the 9/11 Commission concluded the government “lacked sufficient translators proficient in Arabic and other key languages” to adequately prepare against future strikes, Steinman said.

Stop-loss orders are issued in the military when there is an emergency or need for personnel, which temporarily suspends administrative discharges, retirements, end-of-enlistment separations and other situations. In previous wars and conflicts, stop-loss orders have suspended discharges for homosexuality without any negative impact, Steinman said.

The Military Education Initiative (MEI) represents a first-ever effort to educate America’s 27-plus million veterans on the facts surrounding the contributions of gay, lesbian and other sexual-minority Americans to the armed forces.

MEI director Jim Maloney told attendees at the Community Coalition Breakfast that veteran service organizations were successful in preventing the lifting of the ban on gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the military in 1993. Because veterans are held in higher regard by the public and elected officials, it’s important to reach out to them, Maloney said. According to MEI, there are 478 military associations representing veterans and active duty personnel on a wide variety of issues. According to the Urban Institute’s Population Studies Center, approximately 1 million of America’s veterans are gay or lesbian.

“We recognize that in order to lift the ban we’d best minimize the opposition,” Maloney said. “If we can find allies and get their support, they can also be a powerful ally in the effort.”

Maloney said that the majority of the American public supports lifting the ban, citing recent surveys indicating that 65 to 79 percent support gays, lesbians and bisexuals serving openly. In December 2003, a CNN/Gallup Poll found that 91 percent of young people ages 18 to 29 believe the ban should be lifted.

MEI utilizes the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California, Santa Barbara and other research to offer evidence on how DADT is hurting the military and national security. Articles and studies in various military and veteran magazines and journals are published by MEI in an effort to educate and inform.

Both Steinman and Maloney said that 26 other nations already allow gay, lesbian and bisexual service members to serve openly. According to SLDN, most of the international forces deployed in Iraq allow gays, lesbians and bisexuals to serve openly, and studies of the integration of these personnel into the militaries of Australia, Israel, Britain and Canada have shown the change to be a non-event, they said.

The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military has conducted studies showing federal agencies with combat missions that allow gays, lesbians and bisexuals to serve openly had no adverse effects on performance or morale.

Federal agencies such as police and fire departments, the Secret Service, the CIA and the Drug Enforcement Administration, among others, allow gays, lesbians and bisexuals to serve openly, Steinman said.

“The irony of it is that the president of the United States can have his life guarded by openly gay special agents in secret service, but an openly gay person cannot help protect our nation,” he added.

Combat veteran Patrick English spoke about his experiences coming out in the Army under DADT, and discussed the Call to Duty Tour, a national college speaking tour that highlights the policy’s impact on national security.

English said he was openly gay to numerous peers during his time in the service, and that his commander knew about his sexuality and it wasn’t an issue.

English recalled a time in Iraq when a suicide bomber exploded in a car next to his unit.

“At that moment, I was not worried about my sexuality. And I can guarantee you that the soldiers I was serving next to at that very moment weren’t worried about it either,” he said. “We were focused on the mission.”

The 20-city Call to Duty Tour kicks off in late February. The tour comes to the UCSD campus on April 7. Visit www.calltodutytour.org for more information.