10,000 US Soldiers Discharged For Being Gay, Lesbian Or Bisexual

March 13, 2009

Ten thousand US soldiers have been discharged from the military in the past 10 years under the Pentagon's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. That's 10,000 good soldiers with excellent service records, whose only "infraction" was the fact they were gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

The number of DADT discharges has decreased in recent years due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the Associated Press is reporting that 11 soldiers were discharged in January of this year alone. That number included a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist and an intelligence collector.

Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) asks, "How many more good soldiers are we willing to lose due to a bad policy that makes us less safe and secure?"

Moran sits on the House committee overseeing military spending and has requested monthly updates from the Pentagon on DADT discharges.

The debate on the policy resurfaced last week when a bill to end the restriction on gays in the armed services was introduced by Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) from Walnut Creek. "This is an important civil rights issue," she said. "We also need the strongest military possible, and we need to recruit the best and brightest Americans. Some happen to be gay."

President Obama's civil rights agenda includes ending the policy. The President remains committed to reviewing the policy and getting feedback from all interested parties, but said he will do so "when the time is right." Our military is stretched to the breaking point because of the wars, military families are pulled apart because of extended tours of duty, and the economy is down the tubes. 104 retired military leaders have come forward calling for an end to DADT.