WASHINGTON - For the first time in 15 years, the Armed Services subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives took up the issue of whether homosexuals and bisexuals should be allowed to serve openly in the U.S. armed forces.
The military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy essentially states that gay men, lesbians and bisexuals of both genders may serve if their sexual orientation is not divulged. The policy has been in place since 1993, when it was approved by then-president Bill Clinton. Recruiters are not allowed to ask potential service members about their sexual orientation, and service members are not allowed to "act gay" or engage in homosexual activities.
During a two-and-a-half-hour hearing, lawmakers dealt with two related issues: whether a change in the policy would affect "troop unity" and whether the current policy is harming recruitment and retention efforts.
Among the arguments for retaining the current policy was one presented by Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness, which supports "don't ask, don't tell" but would prefer an outright ban on gays in the military. Donnelly contended that allowing gays, lesbians and bisexuals to serve openly not only would hamper morale and create a "sexualized atmosphere," but also that such a move would increase the incidence of HIV infection among service members.
"The armed forces cannot afford the elevated risk of disruptive homosexual conduct in the ranks," Donnelly told the subcommittee. "That risk is even more dangerous when HIV infection enters the picture."
Several members of the subcommittee took offense at Donnelly's remarks, but none more so than Rep. Patrick Murphy [D-Pa.], who caustically took Donnelly to task for her implication that military personnel are "not professional enough" to maintain unit cohesion despite philosophical differences.
"This is an insult to me and many of the soldiers," said Murphy, who served in Iraq during the current conflict.
Rep. Vic Snyder [D-Ark.] objected to what he evidently considered flawed logic in Donnelly's position. Donnelly's testimony indicated it would be best "to recruit only lesbians into the military because they have the lowest incidence of HIV," Snyder said sarcastically.
Three former service members also addressed the hearing. All of them supported repeal of the current policy. Navy Capt. Joan Darrah, who retired after 30 years of service, now discourages gays and lesbians from serving because the "don't ask, don't tell" environment is too stressful. That point was driven home to her immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon, where she was stationed at the time.
"The reality is that if I had been killed, my partner then of 11 years would have been the last to know," Darrah told the subcommittee. "I had not dared to list her in any of my paperwork."
According to Eric Alva, a gay man who also was the first soldier wounded in Iraq, "Those who support ‘don't ask, don't tell' claim that they do so in the interest of unit cohesion. Well, as a former Marine, I can tell you what it takes to build unit cohesion: trust. It takes trust in your fellow unit members to have your back and do their job. And I can also tell you that ‘don't ask, don't tell' does nothing but undercut that trust, and with it our nation's security. ‘Don't ask, don't tell' imposes secrecy and undermines unit cohesion, ousting gays and lesbians at the expense of the military readiness of the United States. Allowing gay, lesbian and bisexual service members to serve openly will only improve unit cohesion, and in turn, our military."
An estimated 65,000 gay men and lesbians serve in the U.S. armed forces. An estimated 3,000 leave the military each year, many because they say they no longer can "live a lie" or because they felt unwelcome or threatened in their units. Since 1994, the military has spent an estimated $363 million to train new recruits for positions vacated by highly trained homosexual or bisexual service members.
Legislation recently was introduced to repeal the policy and allow people of all sexual identities to join and remain in the armed forces. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama supports repeal, while presumptive Republican nominee John McCain supports continuation of the current policy.
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