PFLAG Applauds Upcoming Congressional Hearing on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Market Watch - The Wall Street Journal's Digital Network
July 14, 2008
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) today
applauded Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Personnel
Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, for a scheduled hearing on
the federal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service
members. Congresswoman Davis has announced she will hold a hearing on the law on
July 23, marking the first time since the law was implemented that stand-alone
hearings have been held on the issue.
"'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is one of the most anti-family laws on the books
today," the organization will say in written testimony to be presented for
submission to the committee. "Virtually no one in a service member's life --
from parents to partners to friends and fellow troops -- is untouched or
unaffected by the law. When the estimated 65,000 now serving is multiplied by
the family members and friends in their lives, the impact of the law is
unquestionably significant. Those who serve, and those who love the men and
women who serve, deserve better than 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'"
The organization goes on to note that, "The law denies patriotic Americans
the opportunity to serve our country and also denies service members and their
families critical benefits, protections and rights and responsibilities that
come along with military service."
PFLAG also notes that the law explicitly forbids service personnel from
entering into civil unions, marriage or domestic partnerships, denying lesbian,
gay and bisexual personnel the protections that such local and state laws
provide. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the organization also points out, makes
second-parent adoption difficult, as well as enrolling children in the military
benefits and healthcare system.
"These situations, and countless others, disrespect those who service and
sacrifice so much for our nation," PFLAG says in the written remarks. "They also
point to the broad impact of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' on so many of our fellow
countrymen, not only those who wear our nation's uniform."
According to government statistics, 12,000 service members have been
dismissed under the law, including nearly 800 with skills deemed
'mission-critical' by the Pentagon. Of those dismissed, 322 were language
experts, five dozen of whom were proficient in Arabic.
"When the estimated 65,000 now serving is multiplied by the family members
and friends in their lives, the impact of the law is unquestionably
significant," PFLAG notes in its testimony. "Those who serve, and those who love
the men and women who serve, deserve better than 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'"
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the
health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their
families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society;
education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end
discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. PFLAG provides opportunity for
dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a
society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.
SOURCE Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
