The year was 1993. Democratic President Bill Clinton had campaigned for persons of all sexual orientation to serve in the armed forces in his bid for the presidency in the previous year. This dream was in part solved through the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which instructed the US military to stop focusing on orientation, but rather on the individual acts committed by a person.
The year is now 2010. Another Democrat now reigns supreme in the Oval Office named Barack Obama. Like Clinton did in 1993, Obama also is pushing for further rights for those of an alternate orientation in the United States military early in his first term as President.
President Obama initially took a step back from his plan to allow any person of any orientation to serve in the US military. Citing that it was solely a Congressional responsibility, Obama withdrew from his campaign promise in his first year in office.
However, the seemingly dead issue made a comeback in Obama’s first State of the Union Address. Obama stated his desire to work with Congress to finally repeal reminted “Don’t Harass” provision from law.
While Obama has a good motive for supporting the removal of the bill from law, this would be a tragic mistake for the Democrats. The law, while not the ideal situation for alternative orientation soldiers currently serving, prevents any possible fallout from being a publicly declared homosexual or other alternate orientation.
Case in point. In 1992, a petty officer named Allen Schindler was lynched because of his sexual orientation by a fellow shipmate. Removing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” initative puts all homosexual, bi-sexual, and those of other orientations in an unsafe position because most current soldiers abide by this provision.
While serving in the military shouldn’t be an issue of orientation, potential risks of harming human life is a key component for why President Obama and Congress should avoid repealing “Don’t Harass.” This would be a tragic mistake that may cost lives that wouldn’t be endangered if the law was still in effect.
