As politicians consider various options for carrying out President Bush’s vision to bolster troop numbers, there is fierce debate surrounding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy that bars openly gay and lesbian servicemembers from the military.

In recent weeks, there have been some major shifts on both national and local levels surrounding the efforts to repeal the disputatious policy.

Congressmember Marty Meehan, D-Mass., said he will reintroduce the Military Readiness Enhancement Act to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” early this year. He said he will call for congressional hearings regarding gays in the military, adding, “We cannot afford to keep losing the talent and contribution of patriotic, gay Americans.”

While some leaders are working to repeal the policy, others oppose the plan and support the ban on gays in the military. Three local U.S. Representatives – Brian Bilbray, Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa – are among those who support the ban.

The Center and Momentum San Diego held a grassroots training seminar on Feb. 3 at the Palomar Unitarian Universalist Church, and invited opponents of the policy to mobilize support of the repeal from those representatives.

Among those in attendance were members of the local chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), representatives from San Diego’s Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), and former members of the military.

“The important thing about gatherings such as this is that not only is useful information being presented, but … [by] coming together we learn from each other,” said retired Col. Stewart Bornhoft, who is working with SLDN on the repeal. “If we are going to be good lobbyists, we want to figure out what talking points are going to resonate with our target audience.”

At the meeting, Bornhoft gave background on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and explained the recent shift of support for the ban.

“Unlike the social climate regarding military women 35 years ago, polling data supports changing policies toward gays in the military,” he explained.

Bornhoft presented results from a new Zogby International poll of 545 U.S. troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the poll, three-quarters of the troops say they are personally comfortable interacting with gays, with only 5 percent saying they are “very uncomfortable.” Other polls affirm that both military members and the general public are ready for a change in the nation’s policy toward gays.

Bornhoft said that former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, reviewed data from the Zogby International poll before publicly changing his stance last month on the military’s ban on gays and lesbians.

Shalikashvili editorialized in The New York Times that now is the time to reconsider the policy he helped put in place, and stated that “gays and lesbians can be accepted by their peers.”

Bornhoft also noted how the repeal of the policy would support Bush’s plan.

“Gays and lesbians are 2.9 percent of the total force or over 76,000 personnel. If policies were reversed and the proportion of gay military men were the same as in the total population, this number would likely increase by an additional 42,000 gay men,” he said.

Former Air Force Capt. Reichen Lehmkuhl, author of Here’s What We’ll Say, a book about the secret society of gay cadets that he belonged to at the Air Force Academy, was also in attendance at the seminar.

“There are no legitimate excuses left for this ban because we have evolved as a community and as a military force,” Lehmkuhl said.

Lehmkuhl discussed why homosexuality is compatible with military service today.

“We know that the diversity of the military is actually the thing that makes it stronger,” he said. “If we draw the parallels between the excuses used now banning gays in the military to the excuses used when women were discriminated against in the military, hopefully people will finally say, ‘We get it,’ and begin supporting the repeal.”

To learn more about Momentum San Diego, contact Ken St. Pierre at (619) 692-2077 ext. 104 or ken@thecentersd.org.