In Military, New Debate Over Policy Toward Gays
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Here at the military academy that is nearly as old as the nation itself, two cadets recently engaged in a modern debate: whether they agreed with President Obama’s pledge to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly.
“From what I’ve heard from my classmates, people are kind of against it,” said Daniel Szatkowski, a senior from Edmond, Okla. But Adrienne Rolle, a senior from Brooklyn, said she had no problem with lifting the ban, although she said that some of her male classmates did.
“People are more comfortable with ignorance,” Cadet Rolle said of the reality that gay men and lesbians already serve in the military.
West Point is not a perfect microcosm of the armed forces, but recent conversations with the cadets who will become the Army’s next generation of leaders reflect uncertainty about what Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has characterized as a “complex and difficult problem.”
While Mr. Obama has promised to get rid of the 16-year-old policy that allows gay men and lesbians to serve only if they keep their sexual orientation secret, Mr. Gates has said that both he and the president want to push the issue “down the road a bit.”
Advocacy groups have stepped into the vacuum. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which represents some of the 13,000 gay men and lesbians discharged from the military since the policy took effect, is intensifying lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill — changing the policy requires legislation — and calling on the president to make good on his word.
“If he doesn’t speak up, he’s going to end up O.K.’ing the firing of service members for being gay,” said Aubrey Sarvis, the group’s executive director.
In recent years, prominent retired generals and admirals have also urged repeal, among them Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the policy was adopted after a blowup over the issue in the early days of the Clinton administration.
On the other side, some 1,000 retired officers supported by the conservative Center for Military Readiness sent an “open letter” to Mr. Obama saying they were “greatly concerned” about the impact of repeal on recruitment, morale and unit cohesion.
“How would women in the military feel if they were required to accommodate men in their private quarters?” said Elaine Donnelly, the center’s president.
Col. Thomas A. Kolditz, the chairman of West Point’s department of behavioral sciences and leadership who discusses “don’t ask, don’t tell” in his classes, said that cadets were roughly split for and against openly gay service but that most did not feel strongly about their views.
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Wage ‘all-out war’ vs discrimination, LGBT group urges AFP
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is being challenged to “wage an all out war” against discrimination, particularly on lesbians and gays, a group said Sunday.
In a statement, Project Equality, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights network in the Philippines, challenged the AFP to “wage” the “war” after the declaration that military service is open to gays and lesbians.
“We welcome the statements made by top military officials declaring that lesbians and gays are now accepted in the military. However, this is not insufficient. There has to be a concrete and comprehensive non-discrimination policy in the military,” Project Equality spokesperson Jonas Bagas was quoted as saying.
“There has to be a clear policy explicitly stating that anyone, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, can join the military provided that they qualify for military service,” Bagas said.
Project Equality also urged the AFP to address other forms of discrimination within the AFP, particularly discrimination once gays and lesbians enter into service.
“Once inside, LGBT soldiers can encounter other forms of discrimination and abuse. That, too, should be prohibited,” Bagas added.
“The military is a macho establishment. Hearing pro-LGBT statements from its officials may be refreshing, but they cannot hide the strong anti-LGBT sentiment in the military,” Bagas said.
The LGBT group also urged AFP chief Gen. Alexander Yano to introduce anti-discrimination reforms in the military if they are “truly serious” with its pro-LGBT stance.
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Argentina officially ends trials for homosexual acts in military
(Buenos Aires, Argentina) Members of Argentina’s armed forces will be tried by civil courts rather than military tribunals under a new rule – part of a government effort to increase control over the military.
Strengthening civilian control over the military has been a priority for President Cristina Fernandez and her husband …
