Conversations / Live Q&A

For those who were kicked out under DADT and who received honorable discharges, and who are otherwise qualified to serve - they will be allowed to apply to re-enter the military just like anyone else who has prior service.  This will mean that all service qualifications (age, physical fitness, need for skills, etc.) will apply.  Those who are able to re-enter will be accepted based on their qualifications and the needs of the service.  

Some benefits may now be extended to service members' spouses or partners, but not many.   Benefits like housing and heath insurance are barred by the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Title X, which is military code.  In order for these benefits to be extended, DOMA must be repealed.  

Several of the GOP candidates have expressed interest in "repealing the repeal" of DADT, but polling shows that 80 percent of the American people support the open service of gay and lesbian patriots, and our nation's senior military leaders support repeal and among the key players in getting this done.  Any President could reverse this enormous step forward, but I think it would be an unpopular move given the military's strong support for repeal.  

It's an interesting question, but the truth is that there are gay and lesbian Americans serving honorably in every branch and always have been.  The great thing about DADT repeal is that they may now serve openly without fear of losing their careers and their livelihoods.  And their families may now come out of the shadows as well and support them.  

I agree.  Given the day, I think that many of those service members were speaking about what DADT repeal and open service means to them.  But I think that if you were to ask them today, they would say that they are service members first and that their sexual orientation is irrelevant to their service.  

We understand that this remains a concern for a small minority of Americans.  The Pentagon underwent an extensive review of whether DADT repeal would negatively impact the services.  All the service chiefs concluded that repeal would not have a negative impact on readiness, unit cohesion, good order and discipline, or recruiting and retention.  They would not have recommended repeal had this conclusion not been reached.  These remaining concerns will be dispelled over time.  

If DADT were declared unconstitutional, it would have no impact on the repeal itself.  DADT is history and will be no matter what the final ruling is in the LCR case.  It's unclear if the court will decide the case is moot or allow it to move forward.  

We covered the benefit issue in an earlier question, but in terms of what needs to happen, the courts will either need to declare DOMA unconstitutional or Congress must repeal it.  There's a bill gathering sponsors in Congress to do that now, but a timeline for when it may be taken up is unclear.  SLDN supports these efforts to ensure benefit and family support parity in our military.