Peter Tatchell asks whether Barack Obama really has the will to repeal the US armed forces’ ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) ban on openly gay people serving:

What’s holding back Obama? His reticence to lift the military ban can’t be due to public opposition. More than two-thirds of the American people want it lifted, according to a Gallup poll in May. Is the president afraid that straight soldiers will resign if the restrictions on gay service are repealed? That’s what some British top brass feared when the UK allowed gay soldiers, but the resignations never happened.

The truth is that the gay ban is underming military efficiency. It often allows homophobic harassment to pass unchecked and this harassment damages unit cohesion and morale. A study this year by Cornell University also found that gay personnel ordered to hide their sexuality perform worse than those who were not ordered to do so.

To optimise military recruitment and effectiveness, General John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Clinton, now believes that gay people should be allowed to serve openly. Even a former hardline opponent, ex-US Secretary of State Colin Powell, has come out in favour of reviewing the gay exclusion policy.

I know Paul was more supportive in his earlier post about Obama’s position on gay equality issues, but I really do wonder. He, like Clinton, knows how to talk to the talk, but is remarkably retiscent about walking the walk. What is holding him back? He could have ended it by Executive Order by now. The armed forced don’t care. The American public doesn’t care. Pretty much all other developed countries’ armed forces have rescinded similar bans, so why even continue to pursue court cases which discriminate against desperately needed LGBT service personnel? Of course the lunatic fringe of the Republican Party will fight this tooth and nail, but they’re fighting against healthcare because they think Obama’s a Nazi for goodness’ sake. A president who truly gives a damn about human rights really needs to move now.

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