The Beginning of the End for DADT

[Jess]

Keeping up with this issue after mid-terms. I ran across a couple articles of interest. Will continue watching and sending every petition in I come across.

One from Huff Post:

Dems To Cave On DADT Repeal In Lame Duck

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/1..._n_780371.html

Another from Metro Weekly/ Poliglot:

The (Military) Brass Tacks of Lame-Duck DADT Repeal

http://metroweekly.com/poliglot/2010...-military.html

From the Wall Street Journal:

Drive to Repeal 'Don't Ask' Policy All but Lost for Now

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...961320666.html

[Cyclopea]

[Oiler41]

WOOOOOOOOO WHOOOOOOOOOO

DADT has almost seen its last days!!!!!!!!

Senate vote, 65 to 31 in favor of ending the policy!!! It will be signed next week by Obama,,what a Christmas present!!! They will leave it in place for 60 days (I think that is what I read earlier). What a day for all active duty GLBT people and veterans!

Glynn

[Leigh]

Its about damn time

[Jess]

I'm not sure if this has already been posted, but I know DADT is an issue of concern for many folks here.

Preparing for repeal of DADT brings training for Soldiers




WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 25, 2011) -- With pending repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law banning gays and lesbians from military service, the Army is implementing a tiered training program for Soldiers worldwide.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and Secretary of the Army John McHugh sent a message Feb. 22, to the force about preparations to repeal the law.

"We are confident that you are up to the task, and that we can implement this change in policy by relying on the leadership, professionalism, discipline and respect for each other that have characterized our service for the past 235 years and remain at the core of the United States Army," Casey and McHugh said in the message.

Training for the Force is broken into three tiers. Tier one targets special staff and key individuals like chaplains, lawyers, and inspectors general. Tier two focuses on commanders and supervisors. Tier three will train the rest of the force and is scheduled to begin in early March.

"It is important to emphasize that the current policies remain in effect" for now, McHugh and Casey pointed out in the message. They said the DADT law will stay in place until 60 days after the president, secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that the repeal can be implemented "consistent with the standards of military readiness and effectiveness, unit cohesion, and military recruiting and retention."

They added that the repeal date will be widely publicized once it is decided.

Attached to the message was a list of the "Top 10 things Soldiers need to know" about the repeal of DADT:

1. Accessions & Separations Policies: Upon repeal, the Army will no longer separate Soldiers solely on the basis of homosexual acts, a statement that a Soldier is gay, lesbian or bisexual, or marriage to a person of the same sex. Statements about sexual orientation or lawful acts of gay and lesbian conduct will not be a bar to military service or admission to any accession program. Sexual orientation will continue to be a personal and private matter.

2. Standards of Conduct Apply Equally to Everyone: All Soldiers will be held to the same standard of conduct. All members are responsible for upholding and maintaining high standards of the U.S. Military at all times and in all places.

3. Personal Privacy: Commanders may not establish practices that physically segregate Soldiers according to sexual orientation. Commanders do have the discretion to alter billeting assignments to accommodate privacy concerns of individuals on a case-by-case basis where it is in the interest of maintaining morale, good order and discipline, and is consistent with performance of the mission.

4. Moral and Religious Concerns: There will be no changes regarding any Soldier's free exercise of religious beliefs, nor are there any changes to policies concerning the Chaplain Corps and its duties. The Chaplain Corps' First Amendment freedoms and its duty to care for all will not change. Soldiers will continue to respect and serve with others who may hold different views and beliefs.

5. Benefits: There will be no changes to eligibility standards for military benefits and services. The Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the Federal Government from recognizing any same-sex marriage, so same sex partners do not qualify as dependents for many military benefits and services. A same-sex partner should be treated the same as an unrelated third party (e.g. girlfriend, boyfriend). All Soldiers will continue to have various benefits for which they may designate any beneficiary regardless of relationship.

6. Equal Opportunity: Sexual orientation will not be placed alongside race, color, religion, sex and national origin as a class under the Military Equal Opportunity Program and therefore will not be dealt with through the MEO complaint process. All Soldiers, regardless of sexual orientation are entitled to an environment free from personal, social, or institutional barriers that prevent Soldiers from rising to the highest level of responsibility possible. Harassment or abuse of any kind, including that based on sexual orientation, is unacceptable and will be dealt with through command or inspector general channels.

7. Duty Assignments: There are no changes to assignment policy. All Soldiers will continue to be eligible for world-wide assignment without consideration of sexual orientation. Soldiers assigned to duty, or otherwise serving, in countries in which gay and lesbian conduct is prohibited will abide by the guidance provided to them by their local commanders.

8. Medical Policy: There are no changes to existing medical policies.

9. Release and Service Commitments: There will be no new policy to allow for release from service commitments for Soldiers opposed to repeal of DADT or to serving with gay or lesbian Soldiers.

10. Collection and Retention of Sexual Orientation Data: Sexual orientation is a personal and private matter. Commanders will not request, collect, or maintain information about the sexual orientation of Soldiers.

[Soon]

Army Training Slides Outline 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal Implementation

WASHINGTON -- The Army has released its marching orders to train soldiers on how military life will look after the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning openly gay service members.

In a 30-page PowerPoint presentation obtained by HuffPost, the Army will enumerate for its troops -- from the front lines in Afghanistan to those sitting behind a desk back home -- the basics of how repeal will work, while underscoring that its purpose is "NOT to change beliefs."

Each military branch is writing its own training slides, and the Army version resembles previously released materials prepared by the Navy
and the Air Force.

All of them hammer home on each page the mandate from Pentagon leaders that change will come with, "Leadership -- Professionalism -- Discipline -- Respect."

Last fall, the Pentagon outlined the basics of how it would implement President Barack Obama's promised repeal of DADT in a 95-page report that accompanied a much larger review of the issue.

In December, Congress repealed the 17-year-old policy, and the next month, the Pentagon outlined the steps it would take to comply with the new law.

The military services began training senior officers, chaplains, lawyers and counselors on the new policy last month. But the bulk of troops will be briefed on how openly gay service members will be integrated over the next few weeks.

The Army, the largest of the services, plans to train its 565,000 active-duty troops by mid-July and 567,000 members of the Guard and Reserve by mid-August.

That isn't fast enough for Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

"We believe training can be wrapped up by the end of next month," Sarvis said, noting that there will be an additional 60 days for training that may take place after the White House and Pentagon leaders certify the military is good to go on repeal.

Among the "guiding principles" laid out in the Army slides: "standards of conduct apply to everyone regardless of sexual orientation," soldiers should "treat each other with dignity and respect" and "there is no expectation to change religious or moral views."

The document also notes that the Defense of Marriage Act, which Democrats in Congress launched a campaign to overturn on Wednesday, will still bar soldiers in legally sanctioned same-sex marriages from receiving spousal medical, housing and other benefits taken for granted by straight service members.

Alex Nicholson, the executive director of the gay-rights group Servicemembers United, said the Army training presentation appeared to be in line with those prepared by the other branches.

"What needs further reinforcing, however, is the notion that other types of rule violations should not be used carelessly to try to trump up charges against gay and lesbian troops, as is being done in one prominent Navy case right now in South Carolina," Nicholson said. "All branches need a stronger emphasis on the fact that 'misconduct' does not have one definition for gay troops and another definition for straight troops."

And for troops who can't stand the new rules? Follow orders anyway. As one slide notes, there is, "No policy for early discharge based on: Opposition to repeal (or) Opposition to serving or living with gay, lesbian or bisexual Service members."

[Rufusboi]

This week in class we are discussing Gays in the Military. Here is one students idiotic response. My god these people have a right to vote.

Hello class, I was not going to respond to this portion of the discussion, but felt compelled to comment. I have to agree with you, I believe sexual preferences should not affect physical abilities, but I feel the fox hole situation would be very uncomfortable. What would happen if a gay service man had an urge to dress in drag while in combat, not a threatening position in opposition. Just saying. Personally, to each his own, however, there is a place and time for everything. This post is not meant to be offensive merely voicing an opinion.

The first vision that came to mind when I read this post was of a drag queen in the desert with heels trying to walk in the sand, dressed like Liza Minelli singing New York, New York as bullets fly by. lol

Rufus

[Soon]

http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/201...avy-homecoming