At Wednesday’s debate for Republican presidential hopefuls, several candidates said they’d turn to military leaders when it comes to allowing gays to serve in the armed forces. Mitt Romney said, “I’m going to listen to the people who run the military.” John McCain said he would rely on “designated leaders with the responsibility of the safety of the men and women under their command and their security and protect them as best they can.”
As it turns out, there are 28 generals and admirals who have some helpful advice for these candidates.
Marking the 14th anniversary of legislation that allowed gay men and lesbians to serve in the military but only if they kept their orientation secret, 28 retired generals and admirals plan to release a letter on Friday urging Congress to repeal the law.
“We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy,” the letter says. “Those of us signing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish.”
The retired officers offer data showing that 65,000 gay men and lesbians now serve in the American armed forces and that there are more than one million gay veterans.
“They have served our nation honorably,” the letter states.
McCain said he would want to “begin” with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the issue. Coincidentally, Gen. John Shalikashvili, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the policy was adopted in the early 1990s, is now helping lead opposition to the policy.
“I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces,” Shalikashvili wrote. “Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job.”
As for the Republicans’ argument that it would undermine military cohesion, there’s evidence to the contrary.
The data also indicate that military attitudes about homosexuality have shifted. In the early 1990’s, many senior officers argued that U.S. troops could not form bonds of trust with gays and lesbians, according to Dr. Aaron Belkin, Director of the Palm Center, who has written widely on the subject. According to the new Zogby data, however, nearly three in four troops (73%) say they are personally comfortable in the presence of gays and lesbians.
All of this will be front and center this weekend, by the way, on the National Mall.
Activities planned on Friday to mark the anniversary of the legislation are to center on a rally on the Mall in tribute to the service members discharged under the policy. Sponsors of the rally include organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers United, Log Cabin Republicans, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Liberty Education.
I’d just add, as a side note, that every Democratic presidential candidate has announced their opposition to DADT, while every Republican candidate has announced their support for it.
Stay tuned.