Will the law that bans homosexuals from serving in the U.S. military be overturned?

Obama is expected to overturn the military’s policy regarding sexual conduct. Commonly referred to as “don’t ask, don’t tell” the military prohibits the service of openly practicing homosexuals. This policy was created early in the Clinton administration after a long and divisive fight.


“It’s time to turn the page on the bitterness and bigotry that fill so much of today’s LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) rights debate,” Obama said while campaigning. “The rights of all Americans should be protected — whether it’s at work or anyplace else. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ needs to be repealed because patriotism and a sense of duty should be the key tests for military service, not sexual orientation.”

"Sixteen years after Bill Clinton tried to end restrictions on gays in the military, the US armed forces under Barack Obama may be forced to give homosexuals the same welcome as non-gays.

Under president Clinton, the policy that once saw homosexuals discharged from US military service evolved to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," allowing gays to remain in the military so long as they did not reveal their sexual orientation.

Obama has pledged to overhaul current law.

"The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited," reads an entry on the president-elect's transition website." ..."

from: yahoo news

..."Robert Gibbs made a startling pronouncement when he recently responded to a question from a Michigan man, who asked: "Is the new administration going to get rid of the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy?" Gibbs responded with the one-word answer: "Yes."...

"There were no details provided to reporters who asked [Gibbs] for more questions," she (Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness,) notes. "I don't think he knows the first answer to any of those questions."

While Donnelly acknowledges that Obama could get rid of "don't ask, don't tell" with the simple stroke of a pen, she believes that he really wants to get rid of the actual law which strictly prohibits homosexuals from military service. An obstacle, however, stands in the way.

"That can only be done by Congress," Donnelly explains. "And the members of Congress, when they approved that law [in 1993], did so with overwhelming bi-partisan, veto-proof majorities -- and the law has been upheld by the courts several times.

"You don't just take a perfectly sound and valuable law like that and just repeal it," she adds. ...

excerpts from: OneNewsNow

"Gordon James Klingenschmitt is a former Naval chaplain who is absolutely opposed to allowing homosexuals to serve in the military. He fears it would negatively affect America's battlefield successes. "How can we expect God's blessing on our arms when we openly embrace sodomy?" he asks. "[That's] the same sin that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for committing. When we embrace that in our military...[we] will the lose the blessing of God upon our troops and we will lose wars -- it will cost us wars. America will be destroyed if we allow them to be openly embraced by our military." According to Klingenschmitt it would also introduce a health risk, as homosexuals affected with AIDS could expose others if they are wounded on the battlefield."

excerpts from OneNewsNow

for more information read these past post:
Soldiers say they'd leave military if 'gay' banned lifted
Homosexuals serving in the military