Claiming that the policy is not working, a collection of Democrats along with four armed service members gathered on Wednesday to call for the repeal of the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law that forbids gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) presented data showing that "over 13,500 service members have been discharged under this policy" due to their sexual orientation.
To Moran, the moral waiver's program isn't comprehensive when it excludes homosexuals from military and unleashes over 4000 convicted felons in the past 3 years.
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) referred to DADT as a policy that is "forcing them [non-heterosexuals] to compromise their characters."
Service Members Legal Defense Network development director David Hall, who was discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 2002, said despite the fact that he worked diligently for four years, he was dis-enrolled from an Air Force officer-training school because of his homosexuality.
"[My commander] said, unfortunately we'll have to dis-enroll you due to your homosexual conduct," said Hall, adding DADT means that "they are not going to ask you, you are not going to tell the military, and you should be fine. Well in my case that's not what happened."
Excluding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military has undermined troop morale said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.).
"What undermines morale is not the present of guys and lesbians...but telling them that they are not welcome simply because of their sexual orientations, that they must in fact hide it and live a lie," he said.
Nadler said he and fellow Democrats are trying to include an immediate repeal of DADT in the upcoming defense authorization bill.
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Is A Failed Policy, Say Democrats
Talk Radio News Service
Claiming that the policy is not working, a collection of Democrats along with four armed service members gathered on Wednesday to call for the repeal of the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law that forbids gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) presented data showing that "over 13,500 service members have been discharged under this policy" due to their sexual orientation.
To Moran, the moral waiver's program isn't comprehensive when it excludes homosexuals from military and unleashes over 4000 convicted felons in the past 3 years.
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) referred to DADT as a policy that is "forcing them [non-heterosexuals] to compromise their characters."
Service Members Legal Defense Network development director David Hall, who was discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 2002, said despite the fact that he worked diligently for four years, he was dis-enrolled from an Air Force officer-training school because of his homosexuality.
"[My commander] said, unfortunately we'll have to dis-enroll you due to your homosexual conduct," said Hall, adding DADT means that "they are not going to ask you, you are not going to tell the military, and you should be fine. Well in my case that's not what happened."
Excluding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military has undermined troop morale said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.).
"What undermines morale is not the present of guys and lesbians...but telling them that they are not welcome simply because of their sexual orientations, that they must in fact hide it and live a lie," he said.
Nadler said he and fellow Democrats are trying to include an immediate repeal of DADT in the upcoming defense authorization bill.