‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ goes before House committee

By Jen Colletta
PGN Staff Writer
© 2008 Philadelphia Gay News

The Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee heard testimony July 23 on the merits of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The historic hearing was the first time testimony has been presented on the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers since the law was adopted 15 years ago.

Testifying against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was retired Maj. Gen. Vance Coleman, retired Capt. Joan Darrah and retired Staff Sgt. Eric Alva.

Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, and retired Sgt. Maj. Brian Jones presented testimony in favor of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

The hearing was organized by Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-Calif.), chairperson of the subcommittee, which is comprised of seven Democrats and five Republicans. Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-Eight Dist.), an Iraq War veteran and advocate of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” is a member of the subcommittee.

Former Rep. Martin Meehan (D-Mass.) introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” in February. The bill currently has 144 co-sponsors.

Meehan retired from Congress earlier this month, but, Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) has stepped up to lead the House fight to repeal the ban.

Tauscher said that in advance of the hearing she sent out “Dear Colleague” letters to all her fellow Congressmembers, informing them of the latest news about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” including a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll that found that 75 percent of Americans favored allowing gays to serve openly in the military.

She said the path to repealing the ban begins with educating elected officials and their constituents about the detriments of the law.

“This is a good first step to have this hearing,” Tauscher said. “It brings the issue forward and gives the American Congress and the American public the chance to absorb the issue.”

While none of the witnesses testifying against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” have actually been dismissed under the policy, they all have extensive experience with the policy’s effect on troops.

Coleman, who is heterosexual and African American, said that just as blacks were successfully integrated into the armed forces, openly gay servicemembers would also be welcomed into the ranks.

“All we need is a policy change to repeal this and, believe me, the military will salute, fall in line and lead ahead,” Coleman said.

Darrah, an open lesbian who served in the Navy for nearly 30 years, retired in 2002 after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks brought the policy’s effect on her own service into sharper focus. Just seven minutes before the plane hit, Darrah left a meeting in the part of the Pentagon that would be destroyed; several of her colleagues were killed.

“I realized that my partner, who I’d been with for a long time, would have been the last to know if something had happened to me, because nowhere had I dared to put any of her contact information in any of my paperwork,” Darrah said.

Alva was the first American wounded in Iraq; he stepped on a landmine just three hours after arriving in the country in 2003. Alva, who is openly gay, publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation last year in an attempt to show the public and Congressional leaders what the military should really be fighting for.

Tauscher said she thinks the Military Readiness Enhancement Act might already have the 218 votes needed to pass in the House, but that supporters of the bill are not going to press for a vote until a new president is elected.

Jen Colletta can be reached at jen@epgn.com.