Despite poll numbers that indicate that the vast majority of Americans support repeal of the military’s controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and a Pentagon study released last week that concluded that repealing the policy will not have any lasting negative consequences for the military, some close-minded politicians are still holding out against repeal, chief among them being former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).
In a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, McCain argued against repeal, citing several flaws in the Pentagon’s study to back up his position. He claimed that the survey of military members used too small of a sample and did not accurately reflect the views of the majority of military members.
In reality, not only was the sample size comparable with that of other Department of Defense surveys, but also the survey results largely support the conclusion that repeal would not negatively affect the military. The report found that 70 percent of service members polled believed repeal would have either a positive, mixed or no effect on their units.
Additionally, 92 percent of service members polled who reported having worked with a gay service member in the past said their units were not negatively affected, showing that the results will not be nearly as dire as people like McCain fear.
The immediate transition if DADT is repealed will undoubtedly include challenges along the way. But in the long term, repealing DADT is the right thing to do, and most service members will not have an issue with adjusting accordingly.
When one actually stops to examine the facts, it is clear that DADT is an outdated and unfair policy that should be overturned immediately. Since its enactment in 1993, the policy has cost the military more than 14,000 men and women who were discharged due to their sexual orientation. Many of these service members possessed critical skills in language, intelligence and counterterrorism. Their losses are far more detrimental to the military than their inclusion ever could be.
McCain’s attempts to block progress are both counterproductive and indicative of his own resistance to change. Repealing DADT is a matter of not only getting with the times, but, more importantly, with doing what is right. If this is done, future generations will look back on McCain as nothing more than a politician who stubbornly refused to support necessary forward progress.
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