Don't keep ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

The time has come for all of our service members to be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. In order for this to happen, the failed policy known as 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' must be repealed this year.

We can no longer pretend to respect our service members while forcing them to be dishonest. People should not be forced to lie about who they are in order to serve their country, and it is disrespectful and degrading to our military to continue this policy.

Fostering an environment of mandated dishonesty shows little respect for those who volunteer to sacrifice their lives for our nation. Many argue to keep this policy because they do not believe that some of our troops can handle being around people who are of a different sexual orientation. Such ideas are based upon misunderstandings of sexual orientation or outright bigotry and prejudice, and they show little confidence in our service men and women.

More importantly, it is not justifiable to force one minority of service members to lie in order to make another minority slightly more comfortable. These Americans have sacrificed much, some making the ultimate sacrifice, and they all deserve our thanks, our respect and the ability to live and serve honestly. It is simply unethical to put off the repeal of this policy any longer.

Congress is at long last considering a repeal. Opponents, under the guise of preventing damage to our military readiness, argue that nothing should be changed until the current 'working group,' set up in the Pentagon to consider how best to implement this change, is finished with its study.

However, a compromise has been made in the proposed legislation that requires any repeal of the law to go into effect only after the working group has completed its review, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the secretary of defense and the president all certify that our military readiness would not be damaged.

So waiting until the working group is completely finished with its study is unnecessary. Opposing arguments are being made by those who just don't want the policy to change in the first place.

This policy is damaging our military readiness by creating dishonest work environments and forcing the military leadership to discharge thousands of brave men and women, even when they are desperately needed, simply because of a law that favors the few who cannot handle people who are different from them.

Few reasonable people can deny that our military is full of brave heroes who sacrifice much on a daily basis to protect our freedom. Those heroes are both straight and gay. It is immoral to force some of those heroes to lie in order to serve. For the sake of our military readiness, for the sake of respect for our service members, for the sake of our country and for the sake of freedom, this law must be changed this year.

I am a veteran of the U.S. Air Force whose tenure was cut short as I was forced to come out in 1996. As president of the Alliance For Full Acceptance, I urge all citizens to contact their congressional leaders and support lifting the ban so that

all

Americans may serve openly and freely without fear of persecution.

Jason D. Guerra

Ashley Hall Road

Charleston