SLDN Urges Secretary of Army to Clarify Recent DADT Remarks

Suggestion to Army Times of Piecemeal Repeal Strategy is 'Absolute Nonstarter'

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Army Times newspaper
recently discussed lifting the ban on openly gay service members with the
Secretary of the Army, John McHugh. Reporter Rick Maze interviewed the
Secretary and wrote the following on October 25:

It's possible...that homosexuals could be allowed into some occupations or
units but barred from others, McHugh said, stressing that he was not aware of
any such plans but only discussing how the issue might play out. 'I don't want
to prejudge the situation,' he [McHugh] said. 'I am saying if he [Obama] did
that, it would be my job to explain it when the appropriate time comes.'

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
(SLDN), responded to this report.

"We gather that Secretary McHugh was alluding in this interview to a
hypothetical situation - if the President proposed some sort of phased-in
approach to lifting the ban by Military Occupation Specialties (MSOs). But
speaking in hypotheticals about separate billets or a gradual lifting of the
ban does not advance the President's stated goal of full legislative repeal.
The ban must be lifted across all services, all occupations, and all units -
all at the same time. Any kind of piecemeal approach to repeal, or even any
discussion of such an approach, is an absolute nonstarter."

SLDN respectfully asks Secretary McHugh to amend or clarify his comments by
explicitly stating full repeal is the only way to go.

"We hope Secretary McHugh would quickly slam the door shut on any phase-in for
repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'" said Sarvis, "and get squarely on the same
page as the commander in chief, who said almost two weeks ago, 'I will end
Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'"

McHugh's comments come on the heels of a pro-repeal essay by Col. Om Prakash
published in an official Pentagon publication. Prakash reviewed the
scientific research on gays in the military and concluded that openly gay
service members have no impact on unit cohesion or military readiness. A
piece published on TheAtlantic.com also looked at historical research, finding
that Department of Defense studies conducted in 1957, 1988, and 1993 agreed
with Prakash's conclusion.

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (www.sldn.org) is a national, non-profit
legal services and policy organization dedicated to ending "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell." A Journalist's Guide is available here.

SOURCE Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

Kevin Nix of SLDN, +1-202-621-6502