Witness Against "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Could Help End Policy

Washington Post:

Don't ask, don't tell. And, whatever you do, don't ask Elaine Donnelly to tell you what she thinks about gays in the military.

The House Armed Services personnel subcommittee made just such a miscalculation yesterday. Holding the first hearing in 15 years on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, lawmakers invited a quartet of veterans to testify on the subject and also extended an invitation to Donnelly, who has been working for years to protect our fighting forces from the malign influence of women.

Donnelly treated the panel to an extraordinary exhibition of rage. She warned of "transgenders in the military." She warned that lesbians would take pictures of people in the shower. She spoke ominously of gays spreading "HIV positivity" through the ranks.

"We're talking about real consequences for real people," Donnelly proclaimed. Her written statement added warnings about "inappropriate passive/aggressive actions common in the homosexual community," the prospects of "forcible sodomy" and "exotic forms of sexual expression," and the case of "a group of black lesbians who decided to gang-assault" a fellow soldier.

At the witness table with Donnelly, retired Navy Capt. Joan Darrah, a lesbian, rolled her eyes in disbelief. Retired Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, a gay man who was wounded in Iraq, looked as if he would explode.

Inadvertently, Donnelly achieved the opposite of her intended effect. Though there's no expectation that Congress will repeal "don't ask, don't tell" and allow gays to serve openly in the military, the display had the effect of increasing bipartisan sympathy for the cause.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[Bastet]

Forced sodomy by gay soldiers? Ridiculous!!! What's really something to be concerned about is the fact that 30% of female soldiers report being sexually assaulted by their fellow male -straight- soldiers - so I'm thinking it's the straight ones to worry about, of course the military would like a "don't tell" policy to be forced upon these female soldiers too.

[wdw101]

your right both are wrong

[Eric8869]

Well this issue is not about forced sodomy. No one is fighting for the right to rape people.

[rcsnyc]

awe, what a sad little person you are, but unfortunately for many others, their lives are made sadder by being in an economy where they most likely HAVE to take you sad BS and be employeed by you and around you 5 days a week....

do your ears burn when you aren't in the room? that's all your "freinds" talking about what chump you are when you can't hear them....

[randyjet]

So since we already have a sexual assault problem with straight men, now we want to ADD more people into the mix who can and will do the same? I know that gays are NOT any more restrained than other folks in being sexually active, so our problem with this will simply increase, only this time it will be man on man, and woman on woman assaults. We segregate the sexes to avoid and diminsh this problem, but with gays being openly in the service, we will introduce this into the barracks of the same sex areas as well. THAT does NOT make sense!

[Eric8869]

Rapists are criminals. Gay or Straight - that has nothing to do with this issue.

[wdw101]

how many prosecuted?

[randyjet]

The fact is that gays ARE allowed to serve in the military now. All that is asked is that they keep their private sexual lives just that, PRIVATE! It is not any discrimination since they all have the SAME rights as ALL other military personnel. There is no reason why a persons sex life has to be flaunted any place,especially in the military which does have unit morale and cohesion to think about. The most ignorant comment I have heard on this subject came from Barney Frank when he said, What is the problem? All gays want to do is do their job and go home at night! I almost fell over when I heard that kind of ignorance.
So since we already have a sexual harrassment problem in the military now with just straights, NOW it is proposed to DOUBLE the amount by allowing gays to serve openly in the military. That does NOT make sense! Or maybe the proponents of this think that gays are better at self control than others. From my personal experience, I have seen the opposite. At the very least such things will double, if not more.
The ONLY question to be answered in this regards, is will the inclusion of openly gay members increase or decrease military readiness and efficiency? it is NOT a case of doing what is right for gays. That is irrelevant since the military needs come FIRST and always must be first.

[Aslanspal]

If it was 2002 and we had these hearings with bush bully culture she would be up for a Senate seat.
1993 to 2008 gays have past the test in my book, let them serve openly.

[GayGrandpa]

Part 1

Reading the comments I see someone mentioned Anita Bryant. I remember Anita well...a beautiful woman...until one fateful day. It seems many of us were having fateful days back then (in the middle seventies.) I sat on the same stage with her. You see before the pendulum swung I was a youth pastor at the North Dade Heights Baptist church (1975-1976). We had one of the fastest growing youth groups in the state. Jack Wyrtzen, Anita and I and others had a large youth rally in Miami, but that was before (as the story goes and I have good reason to believe this) she walked in on her husband making love to another man and that did not sit well! THUS the Anita Bryant of the late seventies - scary, mean, and perhaps rightfully...vengeful.

Well a few more epiphanies later and with much prayer, one Easter morning...I bravely came out to my wife. As I recall that did not sit too well either. However the point I am trying to make is it is time for us as a nation to grow up, and to be adult. It is time to say IT IS OK TO BE GAY! We can do that by changing the laws about DON'T ASK DON'T TELL or by either state-by-state changing the laws about gay marriage or doing it in a bigger way and have a President sign a gay marriage bill into law.

[GayGrandpa]

Part 2

Sooner or later, better sooner, it would be good for the country to face reality and make some much needed changes! We haven't done this and what has our foolishness and procrastination gotten us? It is like putting a cork on a pressure cooker filled with gasoline and putting the flame on high and then walking away. That is what we have done...and what does it get us...it gets us little and big fires everywhere! How stupid.

Because we as a nation cannot say SEX IS GOOD, or ALL SEX IS GOOD AND NATURAL...because we don't we have millions of jaded creepy little people trying to deny their natural urges. How gross to have a grown man, a Senator no less, lie to his wife about his homosexuality as he crawls desperately on a public bathroom floor! How sad for his wife indeed and how sad for his progeny, how sad for his constituents and his fellow senators!

Isn’t it time to correct all of this and make some much needed and helpful changes?

[wdw101]

In the same way you believe what you just spewed........I believe you lied to your wife.....then you hold up a man that has your same lifestyle and object to his aberrant lifestyle..... by your own admission the only thing different is the public restroom and being a senator.

anything goes laws won't work either

[Eric8869]

Homophobic people like you caused him to be in the closet in the first place. He shouldn't have been married to a woman in the first place.

Love how a homophobic community tries to blame the gay men for being on the "down low" when they created that atmosphere in the first place. Blame the victim even though they created the atmosphere.

[Amennyc]

If Gays cannot have equal rights in ALL areas of society then they should not have to pay taxes. No taxation without representation. If Puerto Ricans don't have to pay taxes, then why should gays? You don't like gays but you like gay money. Freaks.

[realityczech4u]

If Puerto Ricans don't have to pay taxes, then why should gays?

----------------------------

Get your facts straight:

"Puerto Rico is classified by the U.S. government as an independent taxation authority by mutual agreement with the U.S. Congress. Contrary to common misconception, residents of Puerto Rico pay some U.S. federal taxes: import/export taxes, federal commodity taxes, social security taxes, etc. Most residents do not pay federal income tax but pay federal payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare), and Puerto Rico income taxes. But federal employees, or those who do business with the federal government, Puerto Rico-based corporations that intend to send funds to the U.S. and others also pay federal income taxes......."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

I've often wondered why gays should pay taxes to educate some bible thumpers children......then the parents take the kids out of public schools and use their vouchers to send the kids to christianista schools where they inbreed hatred of gays into the kids.........something is just wrong about that.

[wdw101]

It is just parents rights.......if you want the same rights.........have kids......A parent can teach their kids anything that they wish

[realityczech4u]

Stop spreading lies. Puerto Ricans pay plenty of taxes.

[wdw101]

not enough......more social program dollars go in VS taxes come out.....great

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

But they don't have to pretend to be Mexicans in order to join the military.

[Killjoy]

What exactly do they mean by serving openingly? Why the need to declear it? what is this customs?

[Geoffreys]

Its not a matter of delearing something. It's a matter of not having to actively hide it.

[MACS]

.
She demonstrates many of the characteristics and logic of a sexually supressed bible thumper.
.

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

We do seem to get at least one every decade or so, don't we? First, we had Anita Bryant back in the late 70s...........she finally talked herself hoarse.

Then, that vile Phyllis Schafly person, who is still around talking to anyone who will isten.

Now, this little charmer.

I think you hit on it - sexual repression. It's the basis of the republicon party, in many regards.

They're all about personal freedom and keeping the gov't out of their lives until it's about what two adults do in their own bedroom......or what they really WANT to do in St Paul airport men's room....then the excrement hits the oscillating unit and out come these banshees.......go figure.

[wdw101]

i don't care what you do in the privacy of your own house, it is totally different in the public.....Also when you bring your lifestyle to my business and expect family insurance....

[helonias]

What about adulterers?

[Amennyc]

Jesus was so pro war and murder of innocents. Died on that cross for it.

[joeyp404]

Adultery is AOK, as long as no abortion enters the picture.

[wdw101]

adulterers are also able to be prosecuted under the UCMJ !!!!!!!!

[Tommygun264]

Elaine Donnely also believes that women should not serve in the military, period. She doesn't just oppose women serving on the battlefield, but ANYWHERE in the military in ANY capacity whatsoever. The woman is, to put it nicely, a total nut bag.

[wdw101]

look at the pending comments number, it keeps going up because the censors are cowards

[LintLass]

Be brave. The gays aren't out to get you. :)

[wdw101]

what? real cute

[Amennyc]

She's afraid a g ay might tell her, the Easy Spirit shoes she is wearing are no match for Zanotti's.

[LintLass]

Be brave. Some countries have demonstrated there's been no need for DADT all along.

[wdw101]

that's why we are the strongest

[Eric8869]

They published them all now so quit crying

[LintLass]

It seems that since the DADT rule was brought in, most of the fears of conservatives used to justify not letting gay people serve openly have been proven to.... Not happen, in all those countries that have let gays serve openly all this time?

[wdw101]

Censors will not let my post with any meat go through.....

[Eric8869]

They probably just won't let you post right wing propaganda links. sorry.

[wdw101]

no, they released a lot of mine all at once last night.........

[LintLass]

*facepalm* :)

[wdw101]

what?

[Eric8869]

Here's a couple heros and a harpie. Murphy has made me a fan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjqs1SqvVSQ

[wdw101]

it will make a climate that would be unmanageable.....we definitely have different meaning of hero......

[Eric8869]

Are you saying these two soldiers who served their country are not heros?

There is nothing unmanageable - everyone must do their job and work as a team to meet the goal. Black, white, gay, straight. man, woman - they are expetected to be soldiers first.

[Eric8869]

So these two men who served their country are not heros? sorry you feel that way.

[Tommygun264]

And you speak with such authority because...? Are you in the military? Have you ever been in the military? I was and I am gay. In basic training there were thirty-five of us, a communal shower room with twelve shower heads. In the morning we had ten minutes to shower, shave, brush our teeth, get into uniform and fall out for breakfast. In the evening we had an equal amount of time to clean up and change before dinner. We were issued three sets of freshly dyed fatigue uniforms, each of which we had to wear for two days before we were allowed to wash them for the first time. We were all bald, smelled of sweat and green uniform dye, dog tired and under so much stress that we were all constipated until the fifth day of training. It wasn't exactly an atmosphere conducive to romance, if you know what I mean. I can honestly say that I never looked at any of my fellow trainees as anything other than my brothers during the entire basic training experience, nor did I even find myself tempted to do so. Even if the thought had occurred to me, to act upon such thoughts would have been unprofessional, not to mention stupid. You have a warped sense of reality, my friend.

[wdw101]

I'm just glad i have so many votes in nov

[wdw101]

the company policies are in place for nov.......In many companies besides mine

[wdw101]

only had one lawyer call over the policies changes.......I will be one emp lighter come wed.....that should stop other lawyer.....

[Eric8869]

So sad. Lose an employee over your own homphobia.

[LintLass]

I think she just gives the hysteria all these anti-gay policies are based on. Do we really want *that* kind of subtext running through our military? Maybe people just ought to have more respect for each other, period.

[wdw101]

why?