Congress to consider "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal

On July 23, the Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the first congressional stand-alone hearing on the policy since it went into effect in 1993. The committee is considering a bill to repeal the policy, H.R. 1246, sponsored by Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.).

Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Personnel Subcommittee, and Tauscher have been working with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) to hold the hearing.

"I can say that we have been urging that hearings be conducted for the last two years and not only Congresswoman Susan Davis but Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher of 1246, her work and Davis's work have brought [this hearing] into being," said Adam Ebbin, Communications Director at SLDN.
Although he is hopeful about this first hearing, Ebbin is realistic about its goals.

"It's an important hearing, an important step. The policy will be reviewed in the hearing but, frankly, the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law will not be repealed during this administration," said Ebbin. "SLDN is doing all that they can now. ... We will be accelerating our efforts working with the next Congress."

Among those scheduled to testify at the hearing are retired U.S. Army Major General Vance Coleman, retired U.S. Navy Captain Joan E. Darrah, and former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric F. Alva, who was the first American wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) will submit written testimony to the subcommittee highlighting the toll the policy takes on not only those who are discharged under the policy but on their loved ones.

"When the estimated 65,000 now serving is multiplied by the family members and friends in their lives, the impact of the law is unquestionably significant," wrote PFLAG in its testimony, which it distributed in a press release in advance of the hearing. "Those who serve, and those who love the men and women who serve, deserve better than 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'"

According to government statistics, 12,000 service members have been dismissed under the law, including nearly 800 with skills deemed 'mission-critical' by the Pentagon. Of those dismissed, 322 were language experts, five dozen of whom were proficient in Arabic.

"This law is not going to change but it will begin a national conversation and the next congress is where we have to hope, where we will be working even harder," Ebbin said.

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of SLDN and Huffington Post columnist, wrote about his hopes for the hearing in his latest column.

"I'm optimistic. I think this hearing will be serious and substantive. This time I don't expect a lot of homophobic posturing," he wrote. "This House hearing will provide an opportunity for a responsible Congress to take a fresh look at the law, to see how it is not working in the real world, to realize if they don't already that DADT promotes neither military readiness nor unit cohesion. Most of all, this hearing will advance the process of repeal."