National Media Continues to Follow Proposed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal
March 4, 2010
Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would repeal the ban on openly gay men and lesbians in the United States armed forces, The New York Times reports.
“If Americans want to serve, they ought to have the right to be considered for that service regardless of characteristics such as race, religion, gender or sexual orientation,” said Lieberman.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman with Maj. Mike Almy who was discharged in 2006 (New York Times)
It is unclear whether Lieberman’s bill, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, will garner the 60 votes needed to pass in the Senate.
“I think a guess right now — and this is really a guess — if this bill came to a vote tomorrow, we’d have over 50 votes and that’s saying a lot,” Lieberman told the Advocate “Do we have 60? Not clear yet, but possible.”
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) told The Washington Post on Thursday that a vote on Lieberman’s bill will most likely come in May as part of the annual defense authorization bill.
The repeal is still facing some staunch opposition from Republican lawmakers, however.
Rachel Maddow sternly criticized one such opponent last night on her MSNBC program, The Rachel Maddow Show.
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the amount of service members lost to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is “not significant.”
Maddow answered Rep. Wilson’s outrageous assertion with the story of Air Force Major Michael Almy, who was discharged after 13 years of service because of his sexual orientation.
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GLAAD commends Rachel Maddow and other mainstream journalists who continue to shine a spotlight on the concrete harms of barring qualified gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the United States Armed Forces. We will continue to follow the media’s coverage of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. For more information on the myths and facts surrounding the impact of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell click here to read about our collaboration with Media Matters for America.
Related Posts:Media Takes Notice as Top Military Brass Speak Out on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
February 25, 2010
Gen. James Conway
Marine General James Conway, the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that he supports the Pentagon’s study on the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). Gen. Conway was clear, however, that repealing DADT must take a back seat to the military’s ability to protect the country, according to The Associated Press.
Conway’s testimony comes on the heels of similar testimony by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that both Generals “expressed reservations about moving too swiftly to change the policy, and both endorsed the decision by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to deliberately review the issue before acting.”
Earlier this month, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael G. Mullen told Congress that he personally supported lifting the ban on openly gay men and lesbians serving in the United States armed forces:
“No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.”
(To read GLAAD’s original blog post about Adm. Mullen’s testimony, click here)
International leaders are also weighing in on the repeal. According to PinkPaper.com, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sang the praises of his military’s gay and lesbian service members and suggested Americans could reap the same rewards if the ban is overturned:
“You are the pride of our country and we thank you very much,” Brown told an audience of LGBT people and supporters. “We know this debate continues in America today. I would say to people who still favor ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, look at our experience in Britain.”
Yesterday, GLAAD joined Media Matters for America in calling on the mainstream media to cover Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell fairly and accurately. For more information about GLAAD and Media Matters’ open letter to the media, click here.
GLAAD will continue to follow the media’s coverage of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. For updates, check out GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:Talks Continue on Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
February 22, 2010
Top military officials will appear before Congress this week to testify about the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, The Associated Press reported today.
New York Daily News also reports that Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) will announce next week that he is “taking the lead on the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the 1993 law that prohibits gay people from serving openly in the armed forces.”
In an exclusive interview with the Daily News, Lieberman told [reporter James Kirchick] that his commitment to repealing DADT is twofold. First, allowing gays to serve openly fulfills the bedrock American promise of providing citizens with “an equal opportunity to do whatever job their talents and sense of purpose and motivations lead them to want to do – including military service.” Second, and no less important for a lawmaker whose commitment to national security the Pentagon can’t doubt, is that “When you artificially limit the pool of people who can enlist then you are diminishing military effectiveness.”
Sen. Lieberman went on to speak of his experience on the Armed Services Committee:
“My own experience as a member of the Armed Services Committee, visiting our troops on bases here in this country and abroad, particularly in war zones, the most remarkable quality you’ll find is unit cohesion. What matters is not the gender of the other person in your unit or the color or the religion or in this case the sexual orientation. It’s whether that person is a good soldier you can depend on. And that’s why I think it’s going to work.”
Similarly, The New York Times published an article today about a new Palm Center study which indicates that a speedy repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell would not endanger or disrupt American troops.
That study, “Gays in Foreign Militaries 2010: A Global Primer,” is set to be released Tuesday.
The Santa Barbara-based research center surveyed existing policies that allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly in Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and other countries.
“On implementation, the study said that most countries made the change swiftly, within a matter of months and with what it termed little disruption to the armed services,” The New York Times reported.
The New York Times article also noted that General David H. Patraeus spoke on the subject of repeal on NBC’s Meet the Press program on Sunday.
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In that interview, Gen. Patraeus said that a review of the policy barring gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. armed forces is “warranted.” Although Gen. Patraeus declined to give his own opinion on the policy, he said that he would do so if prompted by lawmakers.
When asked by host David Gregory if men and women “serving on the ground and in the field care one way or the other if their comrade in arms are gay or lesbian,” Gen. Patraeus replied, “I’m not sure that they do.”
GLAAD will continue to follow the media’s coverage of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:UPDATE: Military Board Recommends Dismissal of Lt. Dan Choi
July 1, 2009
On Tuesday, a military administrative board recommended that Lt. Dan Choi – Iraq war veteran, Arabic linguist, and member of the LGBT service member’s organization Knights Out – be discharged from the National Guard under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. The panel of military administrators heard Choi’s testimony and, after four hours of deliberation, submitted their recommendation.
Lt. Choi became one of the leading advocates for the repeal of DADT after coming out in March in the Army Times newspaper and on The Rachel Maddow Show.
In a statement to MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, Lt. Choi responded to the decision saying, “I’m disappointed but I need to send a message to my soldiers that if you get knocked down, get yourself back up and keep fighting. What kind of officer or leader would I be if I gave up?”
Lt. Choi’s case now goes to the First Army commander and the chief of the National Guard Bureau for review. If discharged, Lt. Choi will become the 266th service member to be dismissed under DADT since President Obama took office in January 2009.
News of Lt. Choi’s dismissal comes after a slew of media coverage of DADT in the past week:
Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued a statement indicating that he wants to make the implementation of DADT “more humane” until Congress can address its possible repeal. Secretary Gates stated he has lawyers studying ways the law might be “selectively enforced.”
The White House also issued this response to a question regarding the timetable for the repeal of the policy:
Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach appeared on Tuesday’s CNN Newsroom to discuss his own pending dismissal. The 19-year veteran spoke with President Obama at this week’s White House reception celebrating the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. Although the Lt. Col. was hopeful for President Obama’s movement on DADT, he did not appear as hopeful for his own pending case:
“I think that I may end up being discharged at the end of the day, but if the law’s repealed, then that’s—that’s for the greater good. I hope that, if it is repealed, then maybe I can come right back in the military and finish out my career.”
On Monday’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, Chuck Todd interviewed openly gay Rep. Jared Polis of Colo. During the interview, Rep. Polis voiced his support for the repeal of DADT saying:
“Really, the only area where I have seen any disagreement over this is under the Capital dome. I think we need to make a lot of progress on that. The American people and the military are more than ready.”
Keith Olbermann brought on writer and LGBT advocate Dan Savage on Countdown to discuss President Obama’s addressing of DADT during the White House reception in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
Savage brought up the interesting comparison between Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s suspension of the “widower’s penalty” – a policy which requires the deportation of non-citizen widowers of U.S. citizens – to the reluctance of the Obama administration to halt DADT dismissals. Savage sarcastically joked, “[Napolitano] seems to have authorities and powers that the President, her boss, Commander-in-Chief does not.”
We’ll keep you updated as Lt. Choi’s case progresses.
Related Posts:EXCLUSIVE: Response Letter From 2nd Lieutenant Sandy Tsao on Discharge Over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
May 14, 2009
In the past couple of weeks, we have witnessed an unprecedented amount of media coverage on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). Over time, the American people have come to understand the ramifications of the military ban and its devastating impact on our armed forces, through stories from the service members affected by it.
I had the distinct privilege of assisting one of those soldiers, helping to share her story. Today, with her permission, I’m exclusively sharing her final words on the matter before her discharge under the DADT policy next Tuesday.
A little bit of background – On January 28, I received a touching email from a woman by the name of Sandy Tsao. She identified herself as a Chinese American Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, based in Missouri, who had made the brave decision to come out as a gay woman. She had met with her commanding officer to share the news, even though she was aware that the conversation would cause an end to her service.
In her first email to me, she wrote:
Besides God, being able to serve and being myself are the most important things to me… I am all sincerely yours just let me know what I need to do.
She also wrote a letter to President Obama, pleading for him to repeal the military ban so she continue to serve her country. On January 29, she had emailed me that the White House received her letter and it was under review.
She also wrote:
“I sincerely appreciate your help and your team’s hard work. I have signed my paperwork today for the charges and will be beginning my case shortly. Thank you for keeping my personal information confidential, I only want myself to be solely responsible in anything that may happen should the outcome be negative.”
With Sandy’s approval, we began pitching her personal story to national media outlets with strong records of coverage on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. But we didn’t receive a single reply. So we took her story to Asian Pacific Islander media outlets, leading to major hits in The World Journal, a Chinese language daily newspaper and Audrey, a magazine for Asian American women. In her Audrey op-ed, she explained the reasons for coming out and why she wanted to continue serving her country. Sandy also shared her story with The Windy City Times that resulted in their reporting here.
On April 30, Quinnipiac conducted a national poll, with 60% of participants agreeing that not allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the military is discrimination. Public opinion over DADT was on Sandy’s side.
The Note Sent by President Obama to Sandy (Click to view full size)
So was President Obama. On May 5, Sandy emailed me with some exciting news – The White House had mailed her a personal handwritten note from President Obama. She also enclosed a copy of the letter in her email.
She wrote:
“I received this on Cinco de Mayo. Cried when I got it. Anyway, please do as you please with it. Just wanted to give you the heads up.”
In January, Obama spokesperson Robert Gibbs reiterated that then President-elect Obama would end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. President Obama’s personal reply to Sandy served as another strong piece of evidence that he planned to keep his previous campaign promise to repeal the ban.
With Sandy’s permission, I wrote a blog post last week about her story and the letter from President Obama.
The post sparked nationwide coverage of Sandy’s story and the military ban. Top television news shows including MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show and ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos featured the topic of GLAAD’s post as the lead story.
The Windy City Times also continued with their great coverage.
The blog post was featured and linked to by a host of influential print and digital outlets including Reuters, The Huffington Post, Politico, St. Louis Dispatch, Atlanta Journal Constitution and Mother Jones. The post was also reported on Memeorandum.com as one of the most popular news memes on the Internet.
A flurry of media requests poured in from news shows, newspapers and magazines interested in interviewing Sandy. I called her to discuss the possibility of her participation, but she politely declined and promised that she would mail a letter explaining her reasons why.
Envelope From the White House to Sandy (Click to view full size)
Yesterday, I received a package from Sandy and I am still shocked by its contents. Inside I found the personal handwritten note from President Obama, along with the White House envelope. On top of the letter was a sticky note that read:
“Gift for Andy. I hope this will help you in the mission.”
While Sandy has declined future media appearances, she has offered up one last piece of commentary through her letter to me. She has given GLAAD exclusive permission to share her thoughts.
Sandy's Letter to Andy Marra (Click to view full size)
From Sandy’s letter (emphasis mine):
“I will need a couple month’s time to get my affairs together after I am officially discharged from the army. In addition, an engineering curriculum requires extensive preparation in order to build a good foundation in math and physics if one hopes to succeed in it. This is my #2 dream job so I want to give it my all.”
She also wrote:
“I have strong feelings to contribute to society by being a part of a profession that will welcome my services without hindering my ability to love someone openly. Thank you again for keeping me abreast with all the voicemail messages and emails. You are truly a Godsend.”
Sandy closed her letter with the simple sentence (emphasis mine):
“To equality for all.“
Any rational person can understand why Sandy has decided to take time for herself. Next Tuesday, May 19, she will officially be discharged from the US Army, for simply wanting to uphold the military values of integrity and honesty by serving as an openly gay woman.
It is on that day the United States government will take away her #1 dream job.
Instead of honoring Sandy for her service, she has been forced to let go of a dream that defined her very character. It is only natural that Sandy would need time to mourn this loss and try to plan for her future.
With this blog post, I hope I am able to share another side of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell that people often forget – the lives that must be rebuilt and the dreams that must be forgotten. Similarly, I hope Sandy’s story, and other like it, will resonate and continue to be shared. The brave men and women of our armed forces deserve nothing less.
Dan Choi
Similar to Sandy’s story, is that of First Lieutenant Dan Choi who has been an outspoken advocate on repealing DADT. If Dan is discharged, he will become the first Arabic linguist to be fired as a result of coming out as a gay man. Keep in mind, Dan’s specialty in Arabic has been noted as a language priority for our national security alongside Farsi, Korean and Mandarin.
Dan will join the 12,500 other men and women who have been discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. A Blue Ribbon Commission Report found that discharging openly lesbian, gay or bisexual people in the military cost $363.8 million dollars spread over ten years.
On Tuesday, May 12, the now White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs at the press briefing repeated President Obama’s commitment to repealing the ban but through legislative means.
Connecting the dots for people on the personal nature of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell remains a top priority for GLAAD. We will continue to encourage media outlets to examine and scrutinize the debate around the reasons for delaying a repeal of the military ban. Further, we will make a concerted effort to work alongside our partners, introduce new voices into the conversation and ensure media are equipped with the resources to report on this critical issue.
On a personal note, Sandy and I remain in touch even though she has stepped away from the public eye to focus on her rebuilding her life. I am honored that she has given me her handwritten letter from President Obama, but I only consider it to be on loan.
It is my hope that in the very near future, I’ll be getting a phone call from Sandy. I’m hoping on that call she’ll be asking me to send this gift back. I’m hoping to hear her say how proud she is that her commander in chief has fulfilled his commitment to her, like she had bravely fulfilled her committment to our counrty.
And I’ll know that it was stories like Sandy’s and Dan’s that helped moved a country, to move a President, to move the most powerful military in the world “to equality for all.”
Media Coverage of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Improves as Repeal Moves Toward Reality
February 5, 2009
The Boston Globe’s recent coverage of Obama’s pledge to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” is one of many news stories out this year that fairly tackles the issue. The Globe piece delves into Obama’s announcement that more studies need to be done, and more Congressional support is needed, before the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Though the Globe piece’s terminology was not quite perfect (use of “gays” rather than “gay men and women” or “gay people”), overall the reporter did a great job keeping the piece fair, accurate, and inclusive of LGBT voices and perspectives. It presented multiple sides to the issue. It quoted expert repeal advocates like the Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund (SLDN) and the Palm Center at UC-Santa Barbara.
The day after the story’s publication, SLDN’s executive director, Aubrey Sarvis, opined in the Huffington Post that there is no need for another study on the military ban:
We do not need another report to tell us what we already know and what earlier reports have long since concluded: the sexual orientation of a service member is irrelevant. What is relevant is how well he or she does the job.
The importance of LGBT advocates not only participating in mainstream media news pieces, but also writing opinion pieces like Sarvis’ HuffPo column, enriches the ongoing conversation around the military ban. The advent of the blogosphere and LGBT military activism has helped shape the past 15+ years of coverage.
Back when the military ban first went into effect, the way the media reported on it was less than fair. In 19
96, the New York Times was still referring to gay men and lesbians as “homosexuals” in their military ban coverage. SLDN was regularly quoted, but by today’s standards the LGBT terminology missed the mark. By this year, the Air Force Times published a very well-done piece exploring the discrimination transgender veterans face, marking a heightened LGBT visibility in military press.
But not all media coverage of LGBT service members has been transformed into fair and accurate in 2009. Last month, GLAAD launched an Action Alert against “Gunny” Bob Newman, host of The Gunny Bob Show on Colorado’s KOA-AM Radio:
Newman used his Clear Channel-owned media platform to make false and defamatory comments about gay service members. Newman suggested that lifting “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on allowing qualified gay military personnel to serve openly in the armed forces, would lead to greater HIV risk.
Despite setbacks like KOA-AM, the media coverage of LGBT military personnel is on the whole improving. As President Obama’s administration continues to make decisions around “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” media coverage will hopefully continue to portray the issues fairly and give voice to our community.
CALL TO ACTION! – “Gunny” Bob Newman Links Military Service by Gay People to Greater HIV Risk
January 9, 2009
GLAAD just issued a call to action urging people to contact Clear Channel Communications and Denver station KOA over recent anti-gay comments made by host “Gunny” Bob Newman.
Please see below for more information and TAKE ACTION!
New York, NY, January 9, 2009 – On January 7 “Gunny” Bob Newman, host of The Gunny Bob Show on Colorado’s KOA-AM Radio, used his Clear Channel-owned media platform to make false and defamatory comments about gay service members. Newman suggested that lifting “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on allowing qualified gay military personnel to serve openly in the armed forces, would lead to greater HIV risk.
Colorado Media Matters released audio and transcript versions of the program. In it, Newman made the following claims (click here for audio):
Interesting, though, how Barack Obama, who strictly avoided military service, has – says that the key test must be those things. He left a lot of stuff out. Like being able to fight with as much combat power as you possibly can. And if we have gays serving openly in the military, according to the military, that is going to reduce their combat power. You reduce combat power, casualties can go up.
We had a doctor call in the last hour, a military doctor, been in a long time, and he explained the dangers of HIV-AIDS on the battlefield. Especially when it comes to combat transfusions at the battalion aid station or where have you, in the back of a Hummer ambulance, wherever. And I added there’s also the danger of contamination when it comes to all the first responders on scene.
Often times that’s gonna be a medic or a corpsman. Or just another soldier – doesn’t have to be a medic or a corpsman or a Marine or what have you – who faces the additional risk of HIV-AIDS contamination. And the doctor also went on to explain, you know, how these transfusions are sought and how quickly they must happen. And he pointed out that if we do this, and more and more gays join the military and they are HIV-positive or suffering from AIDS, and their blood ends up getting transfused, you know, into another military person, well, then that’s a death sentence for the other person too. 303-713-8585.
This doesn’t bother Barack Obama. It doesn’t faze him in the least. He doesn’t care if a soldier or a Marine or a SEAL or what have you gets HIV, becomes HIV-positive, and then develops AIDS and dies because he happened to get a transfusion from an, say, an openly gay person with a very active sexual, open lifestyle.
Because to Obama, what’s most important is two things, being politically correct – excuse me, three things: being politically correct; functioning as a good leftist; and number three, paying back the gay and lesbian lobby, which donated such staggering sums of money to his campaign. He owes them a lot of money.
A recent Harris Interactive Survey showed that almost two thirds of U.S. adults favor allowing openly gay military personnel to serve in the armed forces. For more information, click here.
Please contact Clear Channel-owned KOA-FM executives in Denver, Colorado and Clear Channel Communications national executives in San Antonio, Texas to demand that they reprimand “Gunny” Bob Newman for his inappropriate and offensive remarks. Call on them to stop allowing their platforms to be used to perpetuate false and defamatory stereotypes about the LGBT community.
Contact:
KOA-AM
Mr. Lee Larsen
Vice President & General Manager
KOA-AM
Outlet Phone: (303) 713-8000
Email: leelarsen@clearchannel.com
Ms. Kristine Olinger
Director of AM Programming
KOA-AM
Outlet Phone: (303) 713-8000
Email: kristineolinger@clearchannel.com
Clear Channel Communications
Ms. Kathryn Johnson
Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations
Clear Channel Communications
Outlet Phone: (210) 822-2828
Email: kathrynmaysjohnson@clearchannel.com
Ms. Lisa Dollinger
Chief Communications Officer
Clear Channel Communications
Outlet Phone: (210) 822-2828
Email: lisacdollinger@clearchannel.com
Plaque Dedicated to First Nat’l Visible Gay Service Member
November 21, 2008
“When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”
The well-known and well-respected epitaph above, which recognizes gay LGBT rights pioneer Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, can now be read in two places that honor the former Air Force sergeant – his headstone at his burial site in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC, and a new plaque honoring Matlovich in San Francisco, Ca.
Front cover of 1975 TIME magazine with Sgt. Matlovich.
Dedicated at a ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 15 held at San Francisco’s LGBT Community Center, the plaque honors the contributions of Matlovich to the fight against the ban on gay and lesbian service in the military.
A Vietnam War veteran, Matlovich appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in 1975 with the headline “I Am a Homosexual: The Gay Drive for Acceptance” – a full eighteen years before the ‘one step forward, two steps back’ enactment of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” brought the struggle of gay and lesbian military personnel into the public eye.
The TIME story followed the sergeant’s legal struggle to continue serving in the military after coming out to his commanding officers, including his lawsuit against the secretary of the Air Force.
Although Matlovich was not allowed to service his country in the armed forces again, his lawsuit paved the way for a vital change in military policy in 1981 that allowed gay troops to be discharged honorably instead of dishonorably. He was also the first nationally visible gay service member.
In addition to his epitaph, the full plaque also reads:
“In 1975, Tech. Sgt. Leonard Matlovish, USAF, winner of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, made the military’s ban on gays a national issue when he appeared on the cover of TIME magazine. He was arrested at the White House fighting against AIDS and always fought for full LGBT equality.”
The plaque is permanently located at the corner of 18th and Castro where Matlovich lived before dying from AIDS in 1988.
More information on the current state of the military’s ban on LGBT service members, including “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” can be found in GLAAD’s Veteran’s Day Resource Kit for Journalists.
Plaque dedicated to Sgt. Matlovich in SF (left). Photo from Towleroad. Headstone dedicated to Sgt. Matlovich in Washington, DC (right). Photo from Flickr user dbking.
