"Beyond military policy, the repeal of "Don't Ask" is important for the larger gay rights agenda, just as African-American service in World War II and Korea helped shape the evolving civil rights movement" (Saldin, 2011, p. 66).
Opposed to removing DADT as federal law
United States Senator Richard Lugar (of Indiana) voted against repealing DADT because he said he was "…concerned about the impact of lifting "don't ask, don't tell" on unit cohesion and combat effectiveness, particularly at a time when so many U.S. Military personnel are engaged in combat-intensive missions in Iraq and Afghanistan" (Lugar, 2010, p. 1). Lugar was among five Senators that voted to put DADT in place in 1993 and also voted to keep DADT in place in 2010 (the others are Bob Bennett (Utah); Kit Bond (MO); Thad Cochran (Miss); and Charles Grassley (Iowa), all republicans). Lugar admitted in his statement that DADT "…continues to be the subject of contentious debate within the military and among military families whose sons and daughters serve in the Armed Forces." He mentions high-ranking military officers (like General James Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps) who are opposed to removing DADT, but doesn't mention that the Secretary of Defense (Gates) supported removing DADT.
U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (Republican, Mississippi) did not support the legislation to remove DADT because "…a change allowing a homosexual agenda within the ranks of the military will do enormous harm to the cohesion of units and their effectiveness in peace and combat." Cochran mentions that he serviced "during" WWII, Korea, and Vietnam and he believes...
Moreover, he said it is "an aberation [sic] of moral behavior unsuitable for close camaraderie within the confines of barracks and limited spacing quarter both in and out of combat conditions" (Cochran, 2010).
John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona, said the DADT policy "has been effective… it has helped to balance a potentially disruptive tension between the desires of a minority and the broader interests of our all-volunteer force." He said "numerous military leaders" told him that DADT "is working, and that we should not change it now. I agree." He added that "we should be exceedingly cautious, humble, and sympathetic when attempting to regulate [our soldiers'] affairs" (McCain, 2010).
Works Cited
Bishop, Allen. (2010). Efficacy or Justice? Overturning the Ban. Military Review, 90(2),
117-120.
Cochran, Thad. (2010). Keep Don't Ask Don't Tell. Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://www.congress.org.
Hulse, Carl. (2010). Senate Repeals Ban Against Openly Gay Military. The New York Times.
Retrieved May 22, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com.
Lugar, Richard G. (2010). Lugar Opposes Repeal. Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://lugar.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=329050&.
McCain, John. (2010). Senate Armed Services Committee Opening Statement by Senator
John McCain on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy. Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://mccain.senate.gov.
Saldin, Robert P. (2011). Strange Bedfellows: War and Minority Rights. World Affairs.
