Conservatives Oppose Gay Ban in Military

WASHINGTON (U.S. Newswire) -- In a new report titled Restoring American Military Power, the Center for American Progress (CAP) calls on Congress to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the military's ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel. Calling the law "counterproductive," the report goes on to say that, "While the issue of gays in the military was certainly very divisive 12 years ago, the opinions of many military personnel have evolved since then." The report advises that "Congress should pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1059)," a bill introduced in March 2005 by Congressman Marty Meehan (D- MA) to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. The report was authored in part by Lawrence J. Korb, an Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan and an honorary board member of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).

"The Center for American Progress has established itself as a forward-thinking institute dealing with issues of military readiness," said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of SLDN. "We welcome their call for repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' As today's report points out, there is ample evidence to support lifting the military's ban. Opinions within the armed forces have changed since 1993 and the American people overwhelming support placing qualification ahead of discrimination. The time has come to revisit, and repeal, the military's ban."

Restoring American Military Power also notes that "Public opinion has also decidedly turned against 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' with 79 percent of Americans today supporting a policy that allows gays to serve openly." Other polls have found that a clear majority of conservatives, regular church goers and junior enlisted personnel all support repealing the military's ban. A recent survey also noted in the Center for American Progress report also found that, "Even more importantly, 76 percent of potential recruits reported that repealing the ban would have 'no effect' on their decision to enlist." The military's ban, the report concludes, "is counterproductive to military readiness," costing the armed forces potential recruits and as much as $319.6 million in tax payer money, according to CAP.