Report for repeal

A Royal Air Force officer felt uneasy toward his troops for keeping the secret “that their boss was a poof,” yet he was startled to find the unit’s cohesion strengthen when he came out, according to The New York Times.

The integration of openly serving gays into British military came smoothly, the news being that there was no news, according to the Ministry of Defense — no harassment, no lack of unity or effectiveness.

And, while proud of the integration’s success, the Ministry of Defense said it believes that the number of people who have come out is rather low.

What some Americans do not seem to realize is that the same would be true for the United States.

The Rand Corporation’s study released last Wednesday revealed that, if the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy were repealed, only 15 percent of gay service members would be open with others in their units.

Such discreetness does not stem from fear of harassment, but quite the opposite — the matter should be irrelevant to the military.

After all, according to the Pentagon Report on DADT, of the 69 percent of service members who attested to serving with gay men and women, 92 percent “stated that the unit’s ‘ability to work together’ was ‘very good,’ ‘good’ or ‘neither good nor poor.’”

Yes, a sizeable minority of nearly 30 percent in the report worry repeal would affect their unit’s ability to train well together, but as writer Kevin Drum points out, only 20 percent actually believe the repeal would affect their own ability to train, and only 10 percent believe it would affect their readiness.

These numbers legitimize Defense Department General Jeh Johnson’s belief that personnel change surveys “tend to overestimate negative consequences, and underestimate the U.S. military’s ability to adapt and incorporate within its ranks the diversity that is reflective of American society at large.”

This argument is made all the more compelling by examining racial integration during the Korean War.

As the Pentagon Report notes, opposition among service members to integration was severe, reaching as high as 80 percent. After all, military integration occurred before civilian society’s integration.

In the case of repealing DADT, conversely, the military would be practicing what civilian workplaces long have, as people in the civilian workplace do not need to hide their sexual orientation to keep employment.

Instead of leading the way as a social experiment, the military would be following in civil society’s footsteps, and if the thoroughly researched Pentagon Report is any indication, it would do so willingly.

Society is on board. The military is on board.

Yes, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has used another contemptible, ever-changing excuse in favor of keeping DADT.

He claims the study should have focused not on “can our armed forces implement a repeal of this law, but whether the law should be repealed.”

His nebulous question, with its vagueness and questionable ability to be researched, is yet another attempt to stall on his part.

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., has added his voice in opposition to DADT, as has Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. With luck, more will soon follow.

As for GOP senators’ plan to stave off progress on all issues until they have their way regarding the Bush tax cuts, it appears that the two parties will soon broker a deal and be able to move on.

But in purely stupid stubbornness, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has declared that it is unlikely the Senate will have time to finish work on the defense bill that includes the repeal of DADT or even to ratify the crucial New START Treaty.

With the advent of the Pentagon Report, qualified arguments against repeal no longer exist, as hard as some might try.

The excuse of time is all they have left. But the time has come for all of our patriotic service members to be treated equally. It is their right.
    

E-mail: celgrund@indiana.edu