WASHINGTON, D.C., December 1, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The report on the Pentagon’s comprehensive working group study on repealing the law referred to as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” dismisses the concerns raised by some U.S. troops as either “exaggerated” or based on “stereotypes.”
“[T]here are gay men and lesbians already serving in today’s U.S. military, and most Service members recognize this,” stated U.S. Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, and Jeh Charles Johnson, General Counsel for the Department of Defense, in the report’s executive summary.
Ham and Johnson said the report analyzed the answers provided by over 115,000 troops, and 44,200 military spouses.
Both men noted that a “a frequent response” by U.S. military personnel at the information exchange forums at bases over ‘don’t ask’, “were words to the effect of: ‘yes, but I don’t know they are gay.’”
“Put another way, the concern with repeal among many is with ‘open’ service,” they continued.
However, they dismissed those concerns, saying they were “driven by misperceptions and stereotypes.”
“Repeatedly, we heard Service members express the view that ‘open’ homosexuality would lead to widespread and overt displays of effeminacy among men, homosexual promiscuity, harassment and unwelcome advances within units, invasions of personal privacy, and an overall erosion of standards of conduct, unit cohesion, and morality.”
They added that based on the review, such concerns about open homosexual service were “exaggerated” and “not consistent with the reported experiences of many Service members.”
They also asserted that from the anonymous responses of homosexuals they received, only 15 percent of homosexual service members would actually make public their sexual orientation.
They also ruled out creating separate categories of bathroom facilities, calling it “a logistical nightmare, expensive, and impossible to administer;” creating such facilities for the privacy of heterosexual soldiers would be discriminatory, and “stigmatize gay and lesbian Service members.”
The report, they stated, indicated that concerns about homosexuals were “based on stereotype” of them as sexual predators, or that allowing homosexuals to shower with heterosexuals of the same sex is “tantamount to allowing men and women to shower together.”
Ham and Johnson appeared to indicate in their summary of the findings that concerns over differences in sexual anatomy, not sexual attraction between the sexes, were the basis behind separate bathroom, showering, and sleeping facilities. They pointed out that having the sexes shower together was socially “unacceptable” nearly everywhere in the United States (because of this difference of anatomy), while most service members have had an experience of sharing a shower with a homosexual.
Chaplains were identified as the group most deeply divided about DADT, with many of them holding homosexuality to be a sin and saying “that they are required by God to condemn it as such.”
They added that current regulations for chaplains should address any situations that might arise, as “regulations strike an appropriate balance between protecting a chaplain’s First Amendment freedoms and a chaplain’s duty to care for all.”
It was also stated that people of different views co-exist in the military and indicated that those who disagree with homosexual views would be required to “respect and serve” alongside them.
“Service members will not be required to change their personal views and religious beliefs,” it stated, “they must, however, continue to respect and serve with others who hold different views and beliefs.”
Both Ham and Johnson admitted that neither U.S. military personnel nor their spouses were queried on how they felt about repealing DADT.
They explained that they did not want to give the appearance of conducting a referendum on the policy within the military, but said that the questions on the survey gave individuals the opportunity to express support or opposition to the current policy.
Elaine Donnelly, President of Center for Military Readiness, blasted the report for what she said it did not say about repeal.
“The CRWG Report does not mention a single beneficial result of repealing the 1993 law, which would strengthen recruiting, retention, and readiness in the All-Volunteer Force.
“Living conditions offering little or no privacy are difficult, and combat missions are hazardous enough,” said Donnelly. “Why are these officials pushing for radical, unneeded social changes that would make military life more difficult and ultimately more dangerous in the All-Volunteer Force—the only military we have?”