Obama to take on military gay ban at `right time’

By The Associated Press
10.05.2009

(Washington) President Barack Obama will focus “at the right time” on how to overturn the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gays serving openly in the military, his national security adviser said Sunday.
“I don’t think it’s going to be – it’s not years, but I think it will be teed up appropriately,” James Jones said.

The Democratic-led Congress is considering repealing the 1993 law. Action isn’t expected on the issue until early next year.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., recently wrote Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked to share their views and recommendations on the contentious policy. In Sept. 24 letters, Reid also asked for a review of the cases of two U.S. officers who were discharged from the military because of their sexuality.

“At a time when we are fighting two wars, I do not believe we can afford to discharge any qualified individual who is willing to serve our country,” Reid wrote.

Jones said Obama “has an awful lot on his desk. I know this is an issue that he intends to take on at the appropriate time. And he has already signaled that to the Defense Department. The Defense Department is doing the things it has to do to prepare, but at the right time, I’m sure the president will take it on.”

As a candidate, Obama signaled support for repealing the law. To the disappointment of gay-rights supporters, he has yet to made a move since taking office in January. The White House has said it will not stop the military from dismissing gays and lesbians who acknowledge their sexuality.

Last year, 634 members of the military were discharged for being gay, or .045 percent of the active-duty U.S. force, according to an Aug. 14 congressional report.

The largest number of gays who were ousted under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy came in 2001, when 1,227 were discharged, or .089 of the force.

The House is considering legislation to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” and allow people who have been discharged under the policy to rejoin the military.

Jones appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union."

Proud and Ashamed to be an American Today

I am feeling both proud and ashamed to be an American today. I am proud that the American people have stepped up to the plate and chose change over fear by voting for Barak Obama. However, I am beyond disappointed that while the American people are finally willing to elect an African-American president, they still choose to discriminate against LGBT Americans all over the country.

Voters in both Arizona and Florida passed amendments that will deny LGBT Americans the right to marry, and in some cases, the right to civil unions or domestic partnerships. And in Arkansas, voters passed an amendment that would eliminate the right for anyone who is not "legally" married (specifically the LGBT community) to adopt or foster children. And of course we can't forget Proposition 8 in California, which at the time I am writing this post is still too close to call, but appears likely to pass, but by a small margin.

However, even with these defeats, HRC President, Joe Solmonese, is far from ready to give up this fight. “We all know that our marriages did not begin with a court decision and they will not end with a vote on a discriminatory amendment.”

“In California, we firmly believe that all votes should be counted before calling the race. Several million votes in CA have yet to be counted. We are waiting to see the final results from those ballots and we should not be speculating about something as important as people’s fundamental rights,” continued Solmonese.

“Although we lost our battles in Arizona and Florida, we will not allow the lies and hate—the foundation on which our opponents built their campaign—to break our spirits. We are on the right side of history—and we will continue this journey."

“The continuing movement in public opinion underscores that it is only a matter of time before we undo this loss and add more states to the march for marriage equality,” Solmonese continued.

We can only hope that President Elect Barak Obama, who did happen to mention the gay community in his acceptance speech, will help to lead the American people towards a more compassionate and less discriminatory view of the LGBT community.