Latest Don't Ask, Don't Tell Stories

New Research Shows Openly Gay Service Not Linked to Unit Cohesion SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the first ever statistical analysis of whether openly gay service has any impact on military readiness, a new study shows that knowing a gay or lesbian unit member has no bearing on the unit's cohesion. The study, "Attitudes of Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans toward Gay and Lesbian Service Members," appears in the prestigious journal, Armed Forces and Society,...

Challenge Could Raise Questions of Civilian Control of Military SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Marine Corps Commandant General James Conway is opposing President Obama's pledge to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," the Washington Times is reporting today. Citing a former senior Pentagon official, the Times says that General Conway, "has emerged in internal Pentagon deliberations as the most outspoken opponent of permitting gay men and women to serve openly in the...

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...

Former Republican Lawmaker Sets Tone for Other Services SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, indicated this weekend that the Army is prepared to lift the ban on openly gay service if the Commander-in-Chief and the Congress decide to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, a prospect that has gathered steam in recent weeks. McHugh, formerly a Republican congressman from the conservative 23rd district of New York, is the highest...

Says Repeal Would Improve Military Justice SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the Palm Center: The military's prohibition of consensual sodomy invites arbitrary enforcement and may be unconstitutional according to a report released by the Commission on Military Justice today. The Commission recommends repealing the ban. The report was sponsored by the National Institute of Military Justice and a committee of the American Bar...

SLDN Makes Case for Why Repeal Should Be Addressed Now WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), along with veterans discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," is participating in the National Equality March on Sunday, October 11, in Washington, DC. The SLDN contingent will be meeting at a staging area at Farragut Square, 17th & K St. NW, at 11 a.m. The march begins at noon. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091009/DC90470-a...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, President Obama is scheduled to give the keynote address to the Human Rights Campaign's annual dinner in Washington, D.C. More than sixty-five thousand LGBT patriots will be listening to what Obama has to say about repealing "don't ask, don't tell," the law that bars openly gay and lesbian service members from serving their country. One of those patriots is Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, a Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN)...

New Data Show Lesbian Discharges in Air Force Are Disproportionate; Lt. Col. Is Reprimanded and Removed From Classroom SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Palm Center has learned that a Lieutenant Colonel who taught at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, was punished and barred from teaching after she invited three Academy alumni to campus to discuss sexual minorities in the military. The professor, Lt. Col. Edith A. Disler, told Palm Center researchers...

Military Opponents of Gay Ban Increasingly Vocal; 'Unit Cohesion' Argument Suffers a Blow SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An official Pentagon journal has published a report calling for the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The article, entitled, "The Efficacy of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'" was written by Col. Om Prakash, and appears in the new issue of Joint Forces Quarterly, a top military journal published for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of...

Continuation of Emergency Status Allows President Additional Year to Sign Executive Order SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After President Obama extended the National Emergency for one year last Thursday, experts noted that the move allows him additional time to sign an executive order suspending "don't ask, don't tell." According to a "stop-loss" statute (10 U.S.C. section 12305), Congress has authorized the President to suspend any law regarding military...