Servicemembers Update on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of
OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Aubrey Sarvis, Executive Director of
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. Despite Obama signing the bill
last December authorizing the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), it is still
unsafe for service members to come out until 60 days after certification by
President Obama, Secretary Gates, and Admiral Mullen. Recently Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates stated that he is prepared to move forward on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) repeal certification before he leaves office at the end of June.

When asked where we stand with the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and when it
will finally take effect, Sarvis stated, “Unfortunately we’re in a holding pattern right
now on the repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’. Repeal has not happened. ‘Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell’ is still the law. We’re pushing the White House, pushing the Pentagon
to get certification which is an important part of the process. To get certification by
the President, Defense Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, to get those three together this month in June before Secretary of Defense Gates leaves. There’s some signs that certification may slip, may not happen this
month and if it does slip that certification could well be in July or later. Then there’s another part of the process. Once we have the certification, an additional 60 days
has to run before we have repeal of the statute known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
finally goes away. All of this could come together by mid or late September or
October. So unfortunately we have several more months to go before this law is
gone entirely. In the meantime we caution and advice service members to be
careful, to serve in silence, until we have this final repeal.”

While we are in this holding pattern the House Republicans have attached ‘Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell’ and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to the National Defense
Act. Obama has stopped short of specifically stating that he would veto the final
bill when it is passed by both the House and Senate if that bill includes the current House language. Openly gay Representatives Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin,
Jared Polis and David Cicilline stated in a letter to Obama, “Because this issue is so
important in so many ways, we think it would be the best course for you to reaffirm
your strong support of the end of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ by making it explicit that
you would veto a bill in the unlikely event that it came to you, which undermined
the decision that you led us to make last year – namely a military that does not discriminate unfairly and does not turn away patriotic, productive Americans
seeking to serve their country.”
This is an extremely important issue for our LGBT community. We must not become complacent and make sure this archaic legislation is removed once and for all.
Updates to Come….
Listen to Interview & More Info:
http://voices.outtakeonline.com/2011/06/gay-vet-advocate-speaks-out-on-dadt.html