The military’s anti-gay Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell remains a blight on our nation’s armed services. Especially for the women: The Army and Air Force discharged a disproportionate number of women in 2007 under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prohibits openly gay people from serving in the military, according to Pentagon statistics gathered by an advocacy group.

While women make up 14 percent of Army personnel, 46 percent of those discharged under the policy last year were women. And while 20 percent of Air Force personnel are women, 49 percent of its discharges under the policy last year were women.
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Over all, the number of gay men and lesbians discharged from the military in … Continued…

Admiral Mike Mullen’s definitely trumping his Joint Chiefs predecessor Peter Pace. Former Chairman Pace, of course, went out on a low note soon after calling gays “immoral.”

Now, less than a year after taking over as head of the military and saying they’re ready for same-sex soldiers, Mullen’s making more homo headway.

From Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: Speaking at West Point on Sunday, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told graduating cadets that Congress, and not the military, is responsible for the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law banning openly lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans from military service. Admiral Mullen’s answer came in response to a cadet’s question asking what would happen if the next administration were supportive of legislation allowing gays to serve openly.
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Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell gets fresh life today. And it’s not a military matter.

A number of shareholders will tomorrow ask the board of Well Fargo to remove sexual orientation from their anti-discrimination policy. Rather than railing entirely against “gay sins,” as Ken Hutcherson did against Microsoft, these clever little homophobes insist that “gay” can’t be seen, like race, and therefore fagalas should just keep a lid on it:

Whereas, it is similarly inappropriate and legally problematic for employees to discuss personal sexual matters while on the job.

Whereas, unlike the issues of race, age, gender and certain physical disabilities, it would be impossible to discern a person’s sexual orientation from their appearance.

Whereas, … Continued…

Today marks Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’s 15th anniversary. May this year be its last…

The Pentagon ain’t about telling. Not when it comes to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, at least.

Soldier Darren Manzella broke new ground by coming out on 60 Minutes. While one would expect some repurcussions for such a public rejection of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Manzella says he’s been greeted by official - and welcome - silence. What’s more: he’s learned he’s not alone: “I thought I would at least be asked about the segment or approached and told I shouldn’t speak to the media again,” says Manzella, 30, a medic who recently returned from Kuwait and plans to hold a news conference today in Washington to discuss the military’s silence.

He says he is among a growing number of servicemembers who have told other troops and even commanders … Continued…

Long shot presidential candidate Duncan Hunter took some time to smear queers on this weekend’s Don’t Ask-oriented 60 Minutes. The Republican reiterated his homophobic ideology, saying that gays shouldn’t serve in the military because we’re not “hardened warriors”. Hunter also took aim at those gay-loving Brits, a key ally in our Iraq invasion: The Fallujahs of the world, the Ramadis of the world that require heavy combat and lots of fire-fighting capability - those are the places the Americans go. The other countries tend to go to the so-called peacekeeper zones, where they have fewer fire fights and less contact with the enemy. And the European nations show little will … Continued…

CBS’ long-running 60 Minutes spends at least some of this Sunday’s time exploring the ins and outs of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. In addition to exploring Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Leslie Stahl sits down with Darren Manzella, the army sergeant who unceremoniously came out last June. From SLDN: Manzella tells Stahl that he has received overwhelming support from both his fellow soldiers and superiors since coming out last year. Stahl’s report also looks at SLDN’s work in assisting service personnel such as Manzella, and the organization’s campaign to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
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“Sergeant Manzella’s story illustrates the arbitrary and uneven enforcement of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” said … Continued…

Boy, oh boy, Baltimore Sun staffers sure did pen a blistering analysis of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell!

While the Sun editorial doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the table, but does offer quite the scathing conclusion: This policy of pointless discrimination perhaps serves only cowards in Congress and demagogues on the campaign stump. Anyone who truly supports the troops will vote to treat all of them with the dignity and respect they deserve. Remember top Republican candidate Mike Huckabee’s previous comments on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Oh, and don’t forget his uniform response at the CNN/YouTube debates. As for the demagogues, well, that may very well be the Democrats.

By the way, … Continued…

It’s been 14 years since Bill Clinton’s administration enacted Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the discriminatory measure barring out gays from serving in the military. To mark the bill’s anniversary, 28 retired admirals and generals have sent Congress a bit of an anti-birthday card. There’s no “many more” on this one: …28 retired generals and admirals plan to release a letter on Friday urging Congress to repeal the law.

“We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy,” the letter says. “Those of us signing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish.”

The retired officers offer data showing that 65,000 gay men and … Continued…

Barack Obama offered a straight answer to HRC’s straight-forward question: “If you are elected President, what concrete steps would you take to overturn ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?’”.

Unlike John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden, the Illinois Senator actually tells voters what he’ll do to overturn the military’s gay ban: sign the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, among other things.

And, like a good politician, he slyly reminds us that a Democrat - Bill Clinton - helped enact the discriminatory act. Clever.

Read all about it, after the jump…
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The CNN/YouTube debates sure were straight last night, huh? We had to wade through immigration, Iraq and the economy before we got our ‘mo moment.

For those of you who came and went before the blessed event, we’ll fill you in: homosexual and Retired Brigadier General Keith Kerr inquired:

I’m a retired brigadier general with 43 years of service. And I’m a graduate of the Special Forces Officer Course, the Commanding General Staff Course and the Army War College. And I’m an openly gay man.

I want to know why you think that American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians. Well said, if you ask us.

We break the candidates down, after the jump.
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Mark your calendar, readers, because November 30th marks the 14th anniversary of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. And, in honor of this dishonorable event, HRC asked Democratic presidential hopefuls how they’ll end the military’s gay ban.

The non-profit will feature a new response each day, starting with John Edwards.
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The United States spent 24 of its precious hours honoring our veterans yesterday. As millions came together in militaristic remembrance, retired Navy Capt. Sandy Geiselman lamented one of America’s most conspicuous pieces of discrimination: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. As part of her piece, Geiselman points out three of the law’s fundamental flaws…

First, DADT threatens our national security by prohibiting able-bodied and intelligent gays and lesbians. Second, it’s fucking rude. We’ll let Geiselman make the third and final point: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” flies in the face of family values. As the mother of two daughters, I know just how difficult it can be to maintain a family while serving in our forces. This law, … Continued…

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell got a judicial probing yesterday in Seattle.

Former military major Margaret Witt and her lawyer are appealing Witt’s dishonorable discharge. Witt had spent eighteen years serving her country and had even garnered two decorations from President Bush when an anonymous tipster blew up her lesbianic spot, thus leading to her aforementioned discharge.

Witt fought the 2004 decision, but lost during the first round of July 2006 hearings. Now Witt’s fighting back hard in Seattle, where her lawyer’s playing the Lawrence v. Texas card. That case, of course, dismantled our nation’s anti-sodomy laws. Witt’s lawyer, however, insists that ruling also applies to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell because it makes gay sex a “fundamental … Continued…