[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E402-E403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ``STARS AND STRIPES: NO PROBLEMS WITH `DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL' REPEAL''

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 21, 2012

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, whenever a legislative body 
deals with measures to prohibit or lessen discrimination against any 
group, opponents who do not wish to affirm that they are prejudiced 
against that group often assert that there will be negative 
consequences if the antidiscrimination measure is adopted. Most 
recently, we heard dire predictions from many supporters of the policy 
of discriminating against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender 
members of the military that allowing these patriotic Americans to 
serve their country openly would be terribly disruptive. Apparently, 
there were many who believed that young Americans who serve in the 
military shared their prejudice.
  Despite their arguments, the repeal was voted by the Congress in 2010 
and very efficiently put into place by Defense Secretary Panetta after 
full consultation with the Military Chiefs of Staff. It has now been 
about six months since the ban on honesty among gay, lesbian, bisexual 
and transgender military personnel was dropped. And, as in many other 
cases--for example our laws protecting people with disabilities, or our 
laws banning discrimination against women--the predictions of social 
chaos from opponents of fairness have proven to be baseless.
  Stars and Stripes, the widely regarded newspaper that serves our 
military, and has a long record of independence and integrity, summed 
it up in an article on March 19th as follows: ``Six months after the 
military ended the controversial ``don't ask, don't tell'' law barring 
gays from serving openly, Pentagon officials and gay rights advocates 
say the policy change has largely been a non-issue, with few complaints 
and no major headaches resulting from the new rules.''
  It is true that there are some of those who were opposed to this end 
to a discriminatory policy who continue to argue that there would have 
been problems if the Pentagon had not somehow mysteriously suppressed 
it. The notion that there is any significant degree of dissatisfaction 
but there is no way that anyone has been able to voice it--even 
anonymously--is of course highly suspect. The fact is that is turns out 
that the young people in the military do not share the prejudices of 
some of their would-be defenders, and the notion that military 
effectiveness has in any way been damaged, or that we would see people 
leaving the military, have been shown to have no basis.
  Mr. Speaker, because it is important to have this further example of 
the inaccuracy of the predictions that are made when we seek to ban 
discrimination against particular groups, and because this was such an 
important issue debated in this Congress, I ask that the article from 
Stars and Stripes be printed here.

              [From the Stars and Stripes, Mar. 19, 2012]

                           (By Leo Shane III)


        Six months after repeal, military says DADT died quietly

       Washington.--Sgt. Pepe Johnson was surprised by the 
     reaction he received when his fellow soldiers learned that he 
     is gay.

[[Page E403]]

       ``They've pretty much shrugged it off,'' said Johnson, who 
     rejoined the Army last fall after nearly a decade away. 
     ``Most of them were wondering why I had a nine-year gap in 
     service. When I told them it was because of `don't ask, don't 
     tell,' they shrugged it off.
       ``That was a pleasant surprise.''
       Six months after the military dropped the controversial 
     ``don't ask, don't tell'' law barring gays from serving 
     openly, Pentagon officials and gay rights advocates say the 
     policy change has largely been a non-issue, with few 
     complaints and no major headaches resulting from the new 
     rules.
       Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said the repeal is 
     ``proceeding smoothly across the Department of Defense,'' 
     which officials there credit to the ``enforcement of 
     standards by our military leaders'' and ``servicemembers' 
     adherence to core values that include discipline and 
     respect.''
       Officials at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a 
     pro-repeal group which offers free legal assistance to troops 
     on discrimination issues, said they've heard only a few minor 
     complaints from military members about the implementation of 
     the repeal.
       ``We had thought this would be largely a non-event, and 
     that has been the case,'' said Aubrey Sarvis, executive 
     director of the group. ``I think the new regulations 
     permitting gays and lesbians to serve are unambiguous, and 
     the commands have all made it abundantly clear that this is 
     the direction the force is going.''
       Military leaders have seen pushback from conservative 
     groups on some high-profile post-repeal stories--such as a 
     picture of a gay Marine kissing his boyfriend which 
     circulated earlier this month--but haven't faced any lawsuits 
     or mass resignations predicted by some opponents.
       Last month's White House dinner honoring Iraq War veterans 
     included several same-sex couples among the invitees, but in 
     their remarks military leaders didn't even note that such a 
     public display would have resulted in those troops' dismissal 
     just a few months earlier.
       Johnson was booted out of the Army in 2003 under ``don't 
     ask, don't tell.'' After he shared his secret with some 
     friends, others in his unit started grilling them about his 
     sexual orientation. Feeling pressure from both his friends 
     and others, Johnson eventually came clean to his superiors.
       As the political winds changed last year, Johnson said he 
     was speaking with recruiters about returning even before the 
     repeal went into effect last September.
       ``Their biggest issue was asking when I could start, not 
     worrying about my personal life,'' he said. ``There has been 
     no backlash, nothing to worry about.''
       Repeal opponents remain skeptical. Elaine Donnelly, 
     president of the conservative Center for Military Readiness, 
     said plenty of troops remain opposed to serving with openly 
     gay colleagues, but fear they'll lose their job if they 
     object to the military's new pro-gay agenda.
       ``The entire administration . . . has imposed `zero 
     tolerance' policies against persons who are not enthusiastic 
     supporters of LGBT law,'' she said. ``This is what we 
     predicted, but the effects will not be seen quickly, 
     especially in an election year.''
       Much of the repeal fight has already shifted to the next 
     rights battlefield, whether same-sex couples should receive 
     the same housing and medical benefits as their straight 
     peers.
       Sarvis said the current benefits rules create two different 
     classes of servicemembers. Opponents argue that the rights 
     groups are trying to use the military to force radical social 
     changes.
       Meanwhile, Donnelly said that she has heard from a number 
     of troops unhappy with the changes, who are simply waiting 
     for their contracts to expire before leaving the service. 
     That could cause major problems in coming months and years, 
     she said.
       Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy Johnson, a member of active-
     duty gay-rights group OutServe, said he anticipates more 
     problems in the future, although nothing to the extent of 
     Donnelly's predictions. Many of the gay troops he knows have 
     not yet talked about their personal lives with their work 
     colleagues, somewhat delaying the cultural impact of the 
     repeal.
       ``This was never about having people come flying out of the 
     closet,'' he said. ``It was about knowing you can't be fired 
     for being found out. There's going to be a natural transition 
     as more people become comfortable with the idea.''
       Johnson, who was forced from the military in 2007, became 
     the first openly gay person to reenlist after the repeal was 
     finalized. He said his commanders have warned him that he 
     could be singled out for his public role, but so far it 
     hasn't caused any real conflicts.
       ``I anticipate that this isn't over, but I don't anticipate 
     major problems, either,'' he said.

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