... Don't ask, don't tell
What is it?Last Saturday the US Senate voted to repeal a 17-year-old ban on gay people serving openly in the military. The policy, known as "Don't ask, don't tell", had seen thousands of Americans dismissed from the ranks and probably kept countless others from joining. Campaigners argued that gay personnel did not deserve to live in fear of being thrown out of the service over a chance remark or a photo posted on Facebook.
Given that homosexual soldiers who were removed from the military will now be allowed to re-enlist, the repeal is seen as a landmark move on a par with the end of racial segregation in the military.
Why was the policy there in the first place?Those who opposed homosexuals openly serving in the military argued that it would undermine order and unit cohesiveness, particularly in combat, so the policy was originally introduced as a compromise during Bill Clinton's presidency in 1993. The motion to lift the bill followed an in-depth review by the Pentagon that found that a repeal offered little threat of disruption to military effectiveness.
So why now?The repeal was one of Barack Obama's early campaign promises in his bid to become president, and his delay in delivering it led to mounting criticism, including being heckled over his inaction at fundraising events in the spring. The fact that there will be a change in Congress in January, whereupon Democrats will no longer have a majority in the Senate, acted as a looming deadline to force through a final few priorities. But the result comes at a good time for Obama, since he had been fending off criticism from liberal supporters after going back on another campaign promise over tax-cut extensions.
But who wanted to stop it from going through?The most notable opponent was Obama's rival candidate in the 2008 presidential elections, John McCain. Had the former navy pilot been elected president, the repeal would almost certainly not have gone through. He believes Saturday's decision to overturn the ban is the result of liberals with no military experience forcing social change on the armed forces during wartime. After the Senate voted in favour of the repeal, by 65 to 31, McCain said: "We are doing great damage, and we could possibly and probably, as the commandant of the Marine Corps has said and as I've been told by literally thousands of members of the military, harm the battle-effectiveness which is so vital to the survival of the young men and women in the military." Other opponents, such as the conservative group Family Research Council, said the vote was "a tragic day for our armed forces"; marine commandant James Amos was also a passionate opponent of the move.
Does anyone come out of this looking good?It's good publicity for 68-year-old Joe Lieberman, an independent senator from Connecticut, who led the effort to end the ban. After losing out on the Democratic party's re-nomination in 2006, he was forced to return as an "independent Democrat" but now may be well placed to regain a place in the party once more in 2012. The result of his efforts has been celebrated by the White House, gay-rights campaigners and other high-profile cheerleaders of the campaign, such as Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga?In September the singer addressed a rally in support of repealing the ban alongside military veterans who were discharged because of the policy. She had been kept up to date throughout Saturday's proceedings via Twitter and celebrated the outcome with a tweet of her own: "Can't hold back the tears + pride. We did it!! Our voice was heard . . . A triumph for equality after 17 YEARS."
