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01-04-09
By Janessa Goldbeck
Change.org
January 4, 2009
"I was an Arabic translator. After joining the Navy in 2003, I attended the Defense Language Institute, graduated in the top 10 percent of my class and then spent two years giving our troops the critical translation services they desperately needed. I was ready to serve in Iraq.
But I never got to. In March, I was ousted from the Navy under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which mandates dismissal if a service member is found to be gay."
So begins Stephen Benjamin's story, a former petty officer second class in the Navy who lost his job in October 2006 because he is gay.
On the campaign trail, Barack Obama promised, if elected, to repeal the policy, which prohibits any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation or from speaking about any homosexual relationships while serving in the United States armed forces.
It's about time. More than 12,500 service members have been discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" since the policy became law in 1994.
Recently Colin Powell, the original author of the policy, made headlines by saying that the US should "definitely" re-evaluate the policy in a CNN interview. A 2007 CNN survey showed that 79 percent of Americans believe that LGBTs should be allowed to serve openly, up from 57 percent in 1992.
When will Obama follow through - or will he?
Writes Scott Stifler at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network:
Early indications are that he'll do so in a manner that engages the military leadership and Congress. He hopes thereby to avoid the way Clinton's handling made it a lighting-rod issue. [Aubrey Sarvis, Executive Director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network], is also optimistic that Obama's diplomatic approach will ensure he avoids the political traps sprung by Clinton's ill-timed, confrontational approach to the issue: "Unlike Clinton, this president elect has already reached out to the senior military and said he wants to work with them."
Clinton, Sarvis recalls, faltered when he "never reached out until after he was sworn in and after he realized he did not have the support of the Defense Department or Congress. So already president elect Obama has extended his hand to the senior leadership and said he recognizes they play a key role in that they'll be the ones who will have to implement these changes."
With two wars facing the nation and more than 60 Arabic linguists having been kicked out of the military since "don't ask, don't tell" was instituted, the policy is not just an affront to the gay community, but an affront to our national security.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” an Affront to Our National Security
By Janessa Goldbeck
Change.org
January 4, 2009
"I was an Arabic translator. After joining the Navy in 2003, I attended the Defense Language Institute, graduated in the top 10 percent of my class and then spent two years giving our troops the critical translation services they desperately needed. I was ready to serve in Iraq.
But I never got to. In March, I was ousted from the Navy under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which mandates dismissal if a service member is found to be gay."
So begins Stephen Benjamin's story, a former petty officer second class in the Navy who lost his job in October 2006 because he is gay.
On the campaign trail, Barack Obama promised, if elected, to repeal the policy, which prohibits any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation or from speaking about any homosexual relationships while serving in the United States armed forces.
It's about time. More than 12,500 service members have been discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" since the policy became law in 1994.
Recently Colin Powell, the original author of the policy, made headlines by saying that the US should "definitely" re-evaluate the policy in a CNN interview. A 2007 CNN survey showed that 79 percent of Americans believe that LGBTs should be allowed to serve openly, up from 57 percent in 1992.
When will Obama follow through - or will he?
Writes Scott Stifler at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network:
Early indications are that he'll do so in a manner that engages the military leadership and Congress. He hopes thereby to avoid the way Clinton's handling made it a lighting-rod issue. [Aubrey Sarvis, Executive Director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network], is also optimistic that Obama's diplomatic approach will ensure he avoids the political traps sprung by Clinton's ill-timed, confrontational approach to the issue: "Unlike Clinton, this president elect has already reached out to the senior military and said he wants to work with them."
Clinton, Sarvis recalls, faltered when he "never reached out until after he was sworn in and after he realized he did not have the support of the Defense Department or Congress. So already president elect Obama has extended his hand to the senior leadership and said he recognizes they play a key role in that they'll be the ones who will have to implement these changes."
With two wars facing the nation and more than 60 Arabic linguists having been kicked out of the military since "don't ask, don't tell" was instituted, the policy is not just an affront to the gay community, but an affront to our national security.
