An American judge has ordered the Pentagon end its ban preventing openly homosexual or bisexual men and women serving in the military.
The lawsuit was filed six years ago by the Log Cabin Republicans, a prominent Republican gay organization in the US.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” was instituted in 1993 by President Bill Clinton.
US District Judge Virginia Phillips ruled that the policy—which obliges homosexual or bisexual individuals to keep their sexual orientation private or face expulsion—violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution.
To exclude otherwise eligible individuals from serving in their country’s armed forces on the basis of sexual orientation is absurd.
Forcing individuals to conceal their sexual orientation in order to serve simply reinforces existing stereotypes that anyone who isn’t heterosexual is in some way unfit for duty. These are stereotypes that have no basis in fact.
It’s important to acknowledge that overturning “Don’t ask, don’t tell” doesn’t magically dispel homophobic bias among those who already possess it. But removing official sanctions against homosexual and bisexual individuals is a step that is absolutely crucial in accomplishing this process, and it’s one that is long overdue.
It’s regrettable that this turnaround came as a consequence of judicial activism, not democratic political debate.
Simply suspending “Don’t ask, don’t tell” doesn’t address all of the issues that may stem from repealing such a restriction. For example, providing a support network to help the military adapt to such a consequential change is absolutely vital.
In any context outside of the military, a policy like “Don’t ask, don’t tell” would be nothing more than discrimination, hardly tolerable in any society which is founded on principles of equality and mutual respect.
It’s still unclear exactly what will follow Judge Phillips’ ruling, but this decision is definitely a step in the right direction.
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