3595
(0 votes, average 0 out of 5)
Written by Lisa Neff, Staff writer
Sep 10, 2011
A DADT protest at the White House. One protester, in late August, went on trial in a federal court for obstructing the sidewalk outside the White House. – Photo: Courtesy
Confetti might rain on Christopher Street in New York City on Sept. 20, which LGBT military veterans are triumphantly referring to as V-DADT Day.
Victory over “don’t ask, don’t tell” comes 18 years after passage of the policy, a compromise between Congress and then-President Bill Clinton. But while the policy banning gays and lesbians from serving openly was enacted in 1993, gays have been barred from military service in the United States since the Revolutionary War.
Congress voted to repeal DADT last year, but the measure could not be lifted until each branch of the Armed Forces amended its regulations and trained personnel, a time-consuming process that was followed by sign-offs from the defense secretary, the chair of the joint chiefs and the president.
The White House announced earlier this summer that the process would be completed this month, and DADT would be fully repealed Sept. 20.
“The repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is an important milestone along the journey to achieving LGBT equality in America’s military,” said former Army officer Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. “Sept. 20 will be an historic day for our servicemembers and, indeed, our nation.”
To celebrate, SLDN and New York City’s Stonewall Inn, site of the riots that gave rise to the modern LGBT civil rights movement, are hosting a victory party Sept. 20.
SLDN also is hosting a celebration in Washington, D.C., and encouraging activists in other locations to commemorate the occasion.
Additionally, Servicemembers United, another group that lobbied to lift the ban, is coordinating celebrations.
As of WiG’s deadline, parties on Sept. 19 or Sept. 20 were planned in Seattle, San Diego, Minneapolis, Boston and Philadelphia, where former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, a war veteran who championed the repeal effort in Congress, is scheduled to speak.
While open service can begin Sept. 20, representatives from both SLDN and SU expect to continue to push for U.S. military reforms, as well as to represent LGBT servicemembers in harassment and discrimination cases.
Activists have asked the Defense Department to add “sexual orientation” to its Human Goals Charter and to bring enforcement of that commitment into the Military Equal Opportunity program, which provides an avenue of recourse outside the chain of command for servicemembers dealing with harassment or discrimination.
Repealing the ban also will not eliminate inequities in pay and benefits.
“There will be two classes of servicemembers in the U.S. military – those who receive the full range of benefits and support and those who don’t,” Sarvis said.
