03 December 2009

Immunity for DADT Congressional testimony?

An interesting story is gathering legs about possible immunity for gays called before Congress to testify about the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

A group of lawmakers wants to give gay servicemembers the ability to testify before Congress without fearing they'll be discharged under the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.
A bill that would grant immunity from the policy was introduced in the House on Wednesday. It would prohibit retaliatory personnel actions against those who reveal their sexual orientations during congressional hearings.
Congress is expected to consider next year repealing the 'don't ask, don't tell' ban on gays serving openly in the military.


It remains to be seen what the overall policy effects will be, given that President Obama vowed to end this policy. Coming from someone who was in the Army when it was first instituted, I'd honestly say that more than any other decision, the DADT policy was the one that really turned the military against President Clinton and after that, everything bad in the military that could be blamed on him was. It'll be interesting to see how much (if at all) the mentality of the public toward gays has changed in the past 15 years.

By: Brant

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