In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama said his administration would work with Congress and the military this year to finally repeal the discriminatory and counterproductive policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," (DADT) which denies otherwise qualified gay and lesbian Americans the opportunity to serve openly and honestly in our nation's armed forces.
In response, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who serves as the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that he believes it would be a mistake to repeal this "successful" policy. The irony of Sen. McCain's statement was that in opposing the repeal of DADT, he quite literally made the case for just that.
Sen. McCain's statement read in part —
We have the best trained, best equipped, and most professional force in the history of our country, and the men and women in uniform are performing heroically in two wars. At a time when our Armed Forces are fighting and sacrificing on the battlefield, now is not the time to abandon the policy.
Sen. McCain is correct that the men and women of our armed forces perform heroic, dangerous work each and every day, and sometimes are gravely wounded or killed as a result. That applies to both straight service members, as well as those who are gay and lesbian. The difference between the two? Gay and lesbian service members are currently forced to live a lie in order to serve their country. Such a policy does a disservice to this country with its promise of equal justice for all. I can think of no better time to end DADT, which has removed over 13,000 dedicated men and women from military service, then at a time when our country and military need the help and support of all willing Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Thankfully, this isn't just me or the ACLU talking. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll from July of 2008, 75 percent of Americans — including 64 percent of Republicans — thought gays who publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve in the military. And in response to those who say members of the military just aren't ready to fight alongside gays and lesbians, 73 percent of military personnel reported being comfortable with people who are lesbian and gay in a 2006 Zogby poll. Repealing DADT is hardly the controversial or "radical" step that some would have you believe.
Even closer to home for Sen. McCain, his wife Cindy recently was recently photographed for the NOH8 Campaign as a supporter of equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. I'm sure she could offer some sound advice on the issue of DADT repeal as well.
One of the best ways Sen. McCain could honor his commitment to the men and women of our armed forces would be working to repeal this fundamentally unfair policy that has served to "successfully" foster both discrimination and dishonesty.
