NY Senator Gillibrand may push for moratorium on DADT

The Daily Beast reported in a July 13 article that NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is supposedly thinking about introducing an amendment to a defense bill that would require an 18-month hiatus for the 16-year-old policy, which was enacted by Congress in 1993 as a compromise measure between kicking gays out of the military wholesale or else fully integrating the armed forces.

Under the terms of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, gay and lesbian soldiers may continue to serve as long as they do not reveal their true sexual orientation.

But critics charge that the third part of the measure’s title, "Don’t Pursue," is often violated, and that gay and lesbian servicemembers face harassment in the form of investigations into their personal lives even when they have given no overt indication of their sexuality.

Moreover, critics charge that straight women in uniform are falsely accused of being lesbians when they do not respond to the sexual advances of male colleagues.

The article noted that a Gallup poll showed 69 percent of Americans supporting the full integration of the military.

Indeed, senior military officials have increasingly been vocal about the need to repeal DADT, including some top brass who, after retirement, came out as gay.

But others cling to the original justifications for DADT, saying that if openly gay soldiers are allowed to serve, straight troops will rebel and heterosexual prospective recruits will steer clear of enlistment.

"I take it as a personal affront to our warriors," the article quoted Murphy as saying.

"To say that other countries’ soldiers are professional enough to handle this and American soldiers aren’t is really a slap in the face," added Murphy, referencing the fact that other nations, including U.S. allies, have integrated their armed forces.

Murphy had also championed legislation to repeal the policy, taking over as the sponsor for a bill in Congress that would repeal DADT.

The bill’s original sponsor, Ellen Tauscher, vacated her Congressional seat upon becoming a presidential appointee.

In a speech about DADT, Murphy, who served as an Army Captain in Iraq and also had a stint as a West Point professor, declared, "The policy is not working... and it hurts national security."

In an appearance on the Rachel Maddow show, Murphy discussed the bill’s support in the House and stated, "I served with some great soldiers who were kicked out of the Army... just because they were gay."

Murphy pointed out that since the policy’s inception in 1993, over 13,000 servicemembers had been discharged under the provisions of DADT--"That’s more than three and a half combat brigades.

"It doesn’t make any sense," added Murphy. "Now is the time to repeal it."