'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in Iraq

Maggie says:
Only in the U.S. is it possible to have a military policy that simultaneously asks men and women to sacrifice their lives for their country but also to deny basic truths about themselves or not be allowed to make that sacrifice.

Sgt. Robert Stout, a 23-year old soldier from Ohio, may become the new face of the movement demanding an end to the backward “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that tells military men and women – not to mention the rest of us – that raping female soldiers (or being raped if you’re a woman) is a more acceptable expression of sexuality than is being gay.

Stout was awarded the Purple Heart after being injured in Iraq last year, when a grenade sent shrapnel into his arm, face, and legs. After he was given the award, Stout disclosed that he was gay. Today, his biggest desire would be to remain in the Army as an openly gay soldier.

“I know a ton of gay men that would be more than willing to stay in the Army if they could just be open,” Stout said. “But if we have to stay here and hide our lives all the time, it’s just not worth it.”

It’s especially not worth it when the consequences are so severe. Although Army spokesperson Martha Rudd says that soldiers discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” typically receive honorable discharges, anecdotal evidence says otherwise. As a recipient of the most revered award a soldier can receive, one might expect Stout to be treated with respect despite his admission (and because of it, given the consequences). But he has no rosy visions of his future and expects discharge (likely dishonorable) and jail time, even though he’s a Purple Heart recipient.

Let’s pause for a minute here and consider what he just said: despite being awarded a Purple Heart for his combat wounds from Iraq, he expects to go to jail just because he’s gay and dared to admit it.

Stout is reflective on what his case means in the scope of military history. “We can’t keep hiding the fact that there’s gay people in the military and they aren’t causing any harm. The old armchair thought that gay people destroy unit camaraderie and cohesion is just wrong. They said the same things when they tried to integrate African-Americans and women into the military.”

A Miami Republican Congresswoman with a great record on gay rights is coming to Stout’s defense and leading the rallying cry to reverse “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:” “We’ve tried the policy. I don’t think it works,” said Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. "And we’ve spent a lot of money enforcing it. We investigate people… basically wreck their lives. People who’ve signed up to serve our country. We should be thanking them.”

She’s right. And she’s joined by two other Republicans (Christopher Shays, CT, and Jim Kolbe, AZ, the only openly gay Republican in Congress) and 72 Democrats is supporting the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Those in the know don’t expect the bill will get past the House Committee on Armed Services, but the fact that it’s there at all is pretty monumental. And timely.

In February, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report saying that the U.S. policy on gays in the military was responsible for $200 million on replacing service members lost under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” According to the GAO study, the U.S. military has lost 9,488 service men and women because of the policy – 757 of them in critical occupations like interpreting and intelligence analysis. Of those 757 discharged men and women, 322 of them had proficiency in critical languages that the Pentagon desperately needs, like Arabic and Farsi.

This issue is so critical right now, within the military and outside of it. It’s a basic human rights issue. This is the worst time the military can be choosy about who it accepts as a soldier, and incredibly condescending to deny someone’s record of service because of their sexual orientation. It’s a case I’ll be following closely.