Pentagon Poised to Extend Some Benefits to Partners of Gay Soldiers

THE GUARDIAN: Access to on-base stores and support programs likely to be included, but military cannot violate Defense of Marriage Act

The military is poised to extend some benefits to the same-sex partners of service members, US officials said Tuesday, about 16 months after the Pentagon repealed its ban on openly gay service.

Defense secretary Leon Panetta has not made a final decision on which benefits will be included, the officials said, but the Pentagon is likely to allow same-sex partners to have access to the on-base commissary and other military subsidized stores, as well as some health and welfare programs.

Panetta must walk a fine, legal line. While there has been increased pressure on the Pentagon to extend some benefits to same-sex partners, defense officials must be careful not to violate the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. The federal law forbids the federal government from recognizing any marriage other than those between a man and a woman. » | Associated Press in Washington | Tuesday, February 05, 2013

New Dark Age Alert! Santorum: Restore Don't Ask Don't Tell

Rick Santorum Bemoans Gay Soldiers Who 'Shower With People'

Santorum: Gay Rights Not the Same as Civil Rights

Rick Perry Launches Attack on Barack Obama over Gay Rights and Religion
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Governor Rick Perry has recorded a new campaign advert aimed at the United States' religious conservatives in which he vows to end “Obama’s war on religion”.


In the 30-second advert, the governor of Texas denounces open homosexuality and opposes President Obama's repealing of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays serving in the military.

“I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian,” Mr Perry says in the advert, “but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.” Read on and comment » | Thursday, December 08, 2011

Schwuler US-Soldat outet sich per Youtube

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Formally Ends
THE GUARDIAN: Openly gay people will now be able to serve in the US military after repeal of controversial 18-year-old DADT law

An 18-year-old law that prevented serving US military personnel from disclosing that they were gay has been formally repealed.

At one minute past midnight eastern time (0401 GMT), the controversial don't ask don't tell (DADT) law was abolished after its repeal was signed into law some nine months ago.

Introduced by President Clinton in 1993 as a compromise step to full equality, DADT allowed gay and lesbian members of the military to serve only if their sexuality remained secret or was not reported.

The Servicemembers Legal Defence Network estimates that since the law's introduction, 13,000 gay men and lesbians have been discharged after their sexual orientation was revealed.
In some cases dismissals were made on the basis of testimony from jilted lovers or those with personal grievances. » | Shiv Malik and agencies in Washington | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Christine O’Donnell Walks Off Interview with Piers Morgan

Barack Obama Signs Law Repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' for Gays in the Military
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has signed a law allowing gays to serve openly in the military, repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a sweeping and historic shift for the US armed forces. Read about it >>> | Wednesday, December 22, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: 'Don't ask, don't tell' repealed as Obama signs landmark law: The US president fulfils his campaign pledge by allowing gay people to serve openly in the armed forces >>> Staff and agencies | Wednesday, December 22, 2010

THE ADVOCATE: Obama: "Prepared to Implement" – ADVOCATE EXCLUSIVE OBAMA INTERVIEW: President Obama tells The Advocate the Pentagon is "prepared to implement" repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and it will take months not years. He also says he's “wrestling” with the issue of marriage equality. >>> Kerry Eleveld | Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Gays to Be Allowed in the US Military
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The US Senate has lifted the controversial ban on gays serving openly in the US military.

The bill will be signed into law this week by President Barack Obama, who made lifting the ban a key campaign pledge.

The repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is a major victory for Mr Obama and congressional Democrat leaders and a historic breakthrough for gay rights advocates.

It will also mark a striking cultural shift for the US armed forces as gays are allowed to serve for the first time without fear of dismissal.

“It is time to close this chapter in our history,” said Mr Obama who has remained in Washington to complete political duties while his family begins their annual Christmas holiday in Hawaii.

“It is time to recognise that sacrifice, valour and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed.” He added that as commander-in-chief, he believed the measure would strengthen the country’s military. >>> | Saturday, December 18, 2010

This is indeed a historic day for gays in America. Congratulations! It is to be hoped that the bigots will now be silenced, once and for all. Congratulations, too, to all Americans for taking one big, bold step into the twenty-first century. It took a long time, but the eventual outcome is just nevertheless. American gays in the military have been downtrodden for a very long time. Enough is enough. It is time to look forward with hope and confidence. I feel sure that this historic decision will only serve to strengthen the US military; and a strong US military is what we all want and need. – © Mark

US Senate Votes to Allow Openly Gay Soldiers in Military
THE OBSERVER: 'Don't ask, don't tell' overturned by 65-31 majority in Senate, paving way for Obama to sign a law ending the policy this week

Campaigners celebrate the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'. Photograph: The Observer
The US Senate voted yesterday to repeal the ban on gay people serving openly in the military, paving the way for President Obama to sign a law ending the policy this week.

However, the defence secretary, Robert Gates, who had pushed for the change, warned gay men and women in the military that the current "don't ask, don't tell" policy will remain in effect for some time while the new rules are put in place.

Obama said in a statement: "By ending 'don't ask, don't tell' no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love." Read on and comment >>> Ben Quinn | Sunday, December 19, 2010

None too soon either. Gays in the US military have been downtrodden for far too long.

I'm glad that the US military has decided, at last, to embrace the twenty-first century. Denying people their rights simply because they were born different is, and always has been, unconscionable.

Merry Christmas US gay military! You deserve a damn good celebration. God knows, you've waited long enough for it. – © Mark

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Senate Overturns 'DADT' Saturday
Senate votes to overturn military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy

House Approves DADT Repeal
ADVOCATE: The U.S. House of Representatives approved a stand-alone bill Wednesday to repeal the 17-year-old law barring lesbian and gay service members from serving openly in the military by a vote of 250-175.



Rep. Patrick Murphy, who championed the repeal effort, said those who oppose repeal had exhausted “every excuse under the sun.”



“Enough!” Murphy said from the House floor. “Our troops are the best of the best and they deserve a Congress that puts their safety and their collective national security over rigid partisan interests and a closed-minded ideology.”

The bill, introduced Tuesday afternoon by Rep. Murphy and House majority leader Steny Hoyer, will now be sent over to the Senate for consideration. Its language is identical to that of the legislation introduced Friday by Sens. Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins, and its “privileged” status will allow it to bypass several procedural hurdles and move directly to a vote that would take 60 senators for passage. >>> Kerry Eleveld | Wednesday, December 15, 2010

I must say it would be so refreshing if the US military were to resolve this issue once and for all, and abolish DADT and give gays full rights in the military. There really isn't any excuse for not allowing them to serve in the military any longer. It's all bigotry.

If gays are allowed to serve, they should be held to the highest standards, and will have to comply with norms of behaviour that everyone else has to comply with. That goes without saying, actually.

But to throw gays out of the military simply because they have a different sexual orientation, and even when they have behaved impeccably, is simply not acceptable in this day and age.

Gays perform perfectly well in the militaries of other countries, notably Israel's military, Germany's, the UKs, Australia's, Switzerland's, Holland's, etc. So what makes the US military folk think that the US military is very different, even extraordinary?

Within a short period of time, the whole matter will die down, and those serving will come to accept the gays they serve with. Young people today are not like the bigots of earlier generations. They are far more open-minded.

It is to be hoped that this time they really will vote for change, really will vote for fairness. – © Mark

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Senior US General Says Gays on Battlefield Are a 'Distraction'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The head of the United States Marines Corps has said that allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the American armed forces could result in deaths on the battlefield.

General James Amos, said he oppoosed the campaign pledge by President Barack Obama to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on openly homosexual service members.

He said: "Mistakes and inattention or distractions cost Marines lives. That's the currency of this fight. I don't want to lose any Marines to the distraction.

"I don't want to have any Marines that I'm visiting at Bethesda [National Naval Medical Centre near Washington] with no legs be the result of any type of distraction."

Democrats in Congress are attempting to lift the ban but have thus far not attracted enough Republican support.

Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, has said that if Congress does not repeal the law, the courts will probably overturn it instead, giving the military much less flexibility in terms of implementation and management. Read on and comment >>> Toby Harnden, Washington | Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Ex-marine Predicts Win in 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Fight
THE OBSERVER: The first soldier to be discharged under rules against gay servicemen believes a repeal is imminent

Justin Elzie was discharged after coming out on television. Photograph: The Observer
As the row over America's ban on gay people serving openly in the military reached a fever pitch last week, Justin Elzie felt he had finally neared the end of a 17-year journey.

Elzie, a former marine, was the first person to be discharged under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) law, soon after it was brought in by President Bill Clinton in 1993. He has become an important figure in the struggle against the controversial policy, which could now soon be repealed.

"I know it is going to happen now. It is going to be repealed. It is just a matter of when," said Elzie, who recently chained himself to the White House fence in protest at the policy's continued existence. He has also just published a book about his life and last week lobbied politicians in Washington as the Senate conducted hearings on repeal of the law. >>> Paul Harris | Sunday, December 05, 2010

Pentagon Backs Gay Ban Repeal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Defense Secretary Robert Gates urges Senators to repeal a 17-year-old policy which allows gays to serve in the armed forces as long as they keep their sexual orientation private. Video courtesy of Reuters and photo courtesy of Associated Press.

Retired US Chaplains Warn Against Gays in Military
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dozens of retired military chaplains say that serving both God and the U.S. armed forces will become impossible for chaplains whose faiths consider homosexuality a sin if gays are allowed to serve openly in the military.

If a chaplain preaches against homosexuality, he could conceivably be disciplined as a bigot under the military's non-discrimination policy, the retired chaplains say. The Pentagon, however, says chaplains' religious beliefs and their need to express them will be respected.

Clergy would be ineligible to serve as chaplains if their churches withdraw their endorsements, as some have threatened to do if "don't ask, don't tell" – the 1993 law that says the military cannot inquire into service members' sexual orientation and punish them for it as long as they keep it to themselves – ends.

Critics of allowing openly gay troops fear that clergy will leave the service or be forced to find other jobs in the military that don't involve their faiths.

"The bottom line is religious freedom," said retired Army Brig. Gen. Douglas Lee, one of 65 former chaplains who signed a letter urging President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to keep "don't ask, don't tell". >>> | Friday, October 29, 2010

US Military Accepts Gay Troops for the First Time in 17 Years
THE TELEGRAPH: The American military has been told to begin admitting openly gay troops to their ranks for the first time in 17 years.

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that military recruiters must accept applications from gays and lesbians, following a ruling by a federal judge that a law banning them was unconstitutional.

Judge Virginia Phillips said that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law breached gay troops' right to freedom of expression and to proper legal process, and ordered last week that it be lifted immediately.

She is expected later on Tuesday to reject a request from the US government to stay, or postpone, her ruling while the administration prepares an appeal against it.

Earlier in the day a Pentagon spokesman confirmed that in the mean time it had ordered officers to begin complying with the ruling.

"Recruiters have been given guidance, and they will process applications for applicants who admit they are openly gay or lesbian," the spokesman said.

However, troops were warned that disclosing that they were gay could have repercussions if the government's appeal against the ruling is ultimately successful. Read on and comment >>> Jon Swaine in New York | Tuesday, October 19, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: US military accepts openly gay recruits: 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy suffers another blow, but activists still warn applicants not to reveal sexuality >>> Paul Harris in New York | Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Ban on Openly Gay Troops in US Army Is Suspended
THE TELEGRAPH: The ban on openly homosexual troops serving in the United States military was suspended, in what is seen as a victory for gay rights campaigners.

A judge in California ordered a worldwide injunction against the enforcement of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, which forced the expulsion of homosexual troops whose sexuality was disclosed.

The judge, Virginia Phillips, ruled last month that the 17-year-old rule was unconstitutional, as it violated America's First and Fifth Amendments, which guarantee free speech and proper legal process.

On Tuesday she rejected an attempt by the Government to limit this to military personnel who were members of the Log Cabin Republicans, a pro-gay rights group that filed the lawsuit against the rule.

Government lawyers had argued that an abrupt reversal of the rule could harm military operations at a time of war.

But Judge Phillips said the rule itself had a "direct and deleterious effect" on the armed forces because it damaged recruiting efforts during wartime and forced the discharge of valuable troops.

She said that the Log Cabin group had shown that the rule "irreparably injures servicemembers by infringing their fundamental rights" and therefore must be applied to US troops everywhere.

Dan Woods, a lawyer for the group, said: "The order represents a complete and total victory for the Log Cabin Republicans and reaffirms the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians in the military who are fighting and dying for our country."

The ruling comes soon after another federal judge, in Tacoma, Washington, ruled that a flight nurse discharged from the US Air Force for being homosexual should be reinstated. Read on and comment >>> Jon Swaine, New York | Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Lieberman: ‘Don’t Ask ‘Un-American’
CNN: Sen. Joe Lieberman has a warning for those who planned to vote against the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."

US Ban on Gays in Military Ruled Unconstitutional by Judge
THE TELEGRAPH: A judge in California has struck down the US military's ban on homosexuals openly serving in the military, saying the policy is unconstitutional and violates the right to freedom of speech.

Judge Virginia Phillips said evidence presented by the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay conservative group, clearly showed the policy discriminates against homosexuals by forcing them to conceal their sexual orientation.

She said the act prevented gay servicemen and women in the military from talking about their relationships while allowing heterosexual troops to do the same.

"The Don't Ask Don't Tell Act, on its face, violates the constitutional rights" of homosexual troops, she wrote. >>> | Friday, September 10, 2010

Dan Choi Blames Obama For Slow Go On DADT Repeal
ON TOP: Army Lt. Dan Choi, the gay rights activist honorably discharged from the military for announcing more than a year ago on television that he's gay, says he blames President Obama for the political foot dragging on repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”

Choi became an outspoken critic of the law that threatens gay troops with discharge if they do not remain celibate and closeted after he appeared on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show to promote Knights Out, the West Point graduate group that lobbies for repeal of the policy. On the show, he announced that he's gay.

Speaking to CBS radio Friday, Choi said the policy remained in place because the president is not willing to “show solid leadership” and blamed him for not taking action.

Choi also said that his discharge letter was mistakenly mailed several weeks ago to his parents' home in California. He said he did not get notified because he's not on speaking terms with them. >>> On Top Magazine Staff | Saturday, July 24, 2010

Related >>>

Rachel Maddow Interviews Dan Choi


Renvoyé de l'US Army pour avoir révélé qu'il était gay
LE FIGARO: Un jeune officier américain a fait jeudi les frais de la loi «Don't ask don't tell», dont l'abrogation avait franchi une première étape il y a un mois.

Diplômé de la prestigieuse académie de West Point, le lieutenant Dan Choi a servi en Irak comme chef de section en 2006 et 2007. Parlant couramment l'arabe et le coréen, ses compétences sont très utiles à l'armée américaine. Pourtant, celle-ci a décidé de s'en passer à l'avenir, en signifiant jeudi à l'officier de 29 ans son renvoi. Sa faute : avoir révélé son homosexualité.

«C'est une nouvelle douloureuse et rageante», a réagi Dan Choi. S'il s'était tu, le jeune homme aurait pu continuer à servir le drapeau américain. Mais au printemps 2009, alors qu'il vit une histoire d'amour depuis plus d'un an, il décide de ne plus se cacher et révèle son homosexualité à la télévision. Immédiatement, l'armée lui signifie qu'il tombe sous le coup de la loi «Don't ask don't tell» (littéralement «Pas de questions, pas d'aveux»).

Votée sous l'administration Clinton en 1993, cette législation constituait à l'époque un compromis dans la discrimination des homosexuels, qui pouvaient ainsi rejoindre l'armée mais à la condition expresse de cacher leur orientation sexuelle. L'institution militaire jugeait en effet qu'un tel affichage serait dangereux pour la cohésion de ses troupes. Du fait de cette loi, 13.000 militaires ont déjà dû quitter l'armée. >>> Par Thomas Vampouille | Vendredi 23 Juillet 2010