For months Lady Gaga has been diligently working to bring “don’t ask, don’t tell” and its outdated, discriminatory policies back to the floor of the U.S. Congress. Just last week Gaga used her Twitter to reach out to senators, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who echoed support for bringing “don’t ask, don’t tell” to the floor.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” was a policy enacted in 1993 under the Clinton administration. Former President Bill Clinton recently, in an interview with Katie Couric, said that he does not support “don’t ask, don’t tell” and did not want to create it in the first place, but he was merely answering the more extreme cries from the legislative branch. “‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ was only adopted when both Houses of Congress had voted by a huge veto-proof margin to legislate the absolute ban on gays in the military if I didn’t do something else,” said Clinton to CBS.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” has been actively turning away people willing and able to serve in the armed forces. Back in May, Rep. Patrick A. Murphy, D-Pa., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., led sponsors of the measure to repeal, released a statement saying, “It is our firm belief that it is time to repeal this discriminatory policy that not only dishonors those who are willing to give their lives in service to their country but also prevents capable men and women with vital skills from serving in the armed forces at a time when our nation is fighting two wars.”
Cries from Lady Gaga and from the Democratic Party were not heard this week as the defense spending bill that included the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” failed to advance to the floor of the Senate with a vote of 56-43. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, considered a key vote on the bill, said, “We should welcome the service of those individuals who are willing and capable to serve. I cannot vote for this bill under the situation that it is going to shut down this debate and preclude Republican debate.”
Other Republicans are calling the bill a ruse for backdoor amnesty, because of the inclusion of the DREAM Act in the bill. Along with the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the DREAM Act, the bill also included a repeal of an antiquated ban on abortions in U.S. hospitals overseas. All three of these additions are controversial and important things that need to happen, but it is easy to see why Republicans would be flustered by Reid’s push for limited debate and not allowing further amendments to be added to the bill.
All of this comes just after a judge in Los Angeles ruled that “don’t ask, don’t tell” is unconstitutional and limits due process and freedom of speech for gays and lesbians. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” is a stain on civil rights and, with 13,000 soldiers discharged since 1993 under this policy, it is a burden on the military as well.
Ultimately what failed us was polarized partisanship. Democrats and Republicans are to blame for prolonging the extirpation of archaic policies instead of bringing in new and positive legislation to allow children raised in America a pathway to citizenship, gays and lesbians the ability to serve the country they love and American women rights while abroad.
Rhea Carey summed it up best, “Once again, politicians are playing politics with people’s lives. Filibustering the defense authorization bill to block action on ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal and the DREAM Act — two measures that do justice to the fundamental principle of fairness — is a disappointment and disservice to our country.”
Michael Patrick is a junior majoring in political science.
