Factbox: Pentagon report on gays in U.S. military
(Reuters) - A majority of the U.S. military does not object to lifting the ban on gays serving openly in uniform, except for predominantly male combat units which show greater resistance to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a Pentagon study said Tuesday.
It could have a significant impact on President Barack Obama's push for Congress to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy by year-end.
The policy, adopted in 1993, bars gays from openly serving in the military, but allows them to serve as long as they keep their sexual orientation private.
The report can be found here(secure-hires).pdf
Following are some of the report's key recommendations:
STANDARDS OF CONDUCT
Service members expressed concerns about conduct such as public displays of affection, dress, appearance, and violence, harassment, or disrespect between homosexual and heterosexual members.
"We do recommend ... that the Department of Defense issue generalized guidance to the Services that all standards of personal and professional conduct must apply uniformly without regard to sexual orientation."
MORAL AND RELIGIOUS CONCERNS
A large number of service members raised religious and moral objections to homosexuality and some of the "most intense and sharpest divergence of views" were among the roughly 3,000 military chaplains.
The report concluded that Service members already co-exist, work and fight together, despite sharply different religious convictions and values such as on abortion.
UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE
"We recommend modification to the prohibition on sodomy in Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), and a corresponding change to the Manual for Courts-Martial (which implements the UCMJ and provides rules, policies, and procedures for UCMJ prosecutions)."
"Article 125 of the UCMJ treats all acts of sodomy, heterosexual, homosexual, consensual, or otherwise, as punishable conduct."
PRIVACY and COHABITATION
A number of Service members were uncomfortable about sharing bathroom facilities or living quarters with someone known to be gay or lesbian.
"We do not recommend segregated housing for gay or lesbian Service members. We believe this would do more harm than good for unit cohesion, create a climate of stigmatization and isolation, and be impossible to enforce or administer unless Service members are required to disclose their sexual orientation."
Commanders retain the authority to make changes on a case-by-case basis.
BENEFITS
"It is important to note that, given current law, particularly the Defense of Marriage Act, there are a number of benefits that cannot legally be extended today to gay and lesbian Service members and their same-sex partners, even those who were lawfully married in states that permit same-sex marriage."
Recommendations included reviewing existing benefits that may be revised by a change in regulation to allow Service members the discretion to designate whomever they want as a beneficiary, which would include a same-sex partner.
Also recommended was revising regulations to add same-sex committed relationships to the definition of "dependent," "family members," or other similar term in those regulations, for extending benefits eligibility.
SEEKING DISCHARGE
Some Service members said they would seek to be released from their service commitments if "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed.
"We recommend against a policy allowing release from service commitments and voluntary discharge of Service members based on opposition to living or serving with gay or lesbian Service members after a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
OVERSEAS ASSIGNMENTS
Gay and lesbian members of the military assigned to serve in countries that criminalize homosexuality may be subjected to greater legal risk than heterosexuals.
"To address this, we recommend that the Services ensure that information on host-country laws and related military policies regarding homosexuality and homosexual conduct are included in their standard briefings to all Service members being deployed overseas."
"We do not recommend imposing restrictions on overseas assignments of gay and lesbian personnel."
(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
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“The report found that 70% of service members reported a positive or mixed reaction should the law be repealed, or forecast no effect from such a change. Still, the report found more discomfort in combat units. About 48% of Army soldiers in combat arms units, and 58% of Marines in combat units, said there would be a negative effect on unit cohesion.”
Note that the soldiers who have to live in CLOSE proximity on a 24/7 basis are NOT cool with the idea of homosexuals in the military. Apparently, the ones that are okay with it are those in military support positions that more closely resemble 8-hour jobs. You know the type I mean, the overweight nose-picking non-coms, like Gates. In other words, they can go home and get away from the cr@p for 16 hours.
I have spent my life listening to the majority population debate my life, my home, what rights and privileges I am to be afforded or denied, how welcome I am in the community, house of worship or the workplace. I understand the history of the why and the wherefore of this debate. I understand the necessity of such debates. Knowing does not reduce the sting.
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