Show support for ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal

TO THE EDITOR:

While an amendment starting the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) has passed the House and the Senate Armed Services Committee, there is significant work to be done before lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) service members will be allowed to serve openly in the military without the fear of being discharged.

A vote on the National Defense Authorization Bill to which this amendment is attached will take place in the coming weeks on the Senate floor.

I urge you to call or e-mail your senators to ask them to vote for this important bill which will fund our military for the coming year. You can also request that they not support any additional amendment which would make the certification of repeal more difficult, such as requiring each of the service chiefs to sign off in addition to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This repeal must then be certified by the president, secretary of defense, and the CJCS that the study results have been considered and repealing DADT is consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces.

Just a repeal of DADT does not protect LGB service members. The Pentagon can continue to have a policy that discharges LGB service members after repeal. A policy of nondiscrimination needs to be added, and this can come from President Obama as well as a moratorium on DADT discharges. Call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111.

Sara Isaacson
Class of 2011
Chemistry
HAVEN and Safe Zone Challenge Ally