Our country has changed dramatically since the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law was enacted, and it has become a relic of the past. While in 1993 only 44% of Americans supported allowing gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the military, now three-fourths of the country holds that view, including 77% of Independents and 64% of Republicans.
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, both of whom were appointed by President Bush, have definitively stated that the law should be repealed and have put in place a process to determine how to best implement that change. We agree with the Commander in Chief and Pentagon leadership that repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is the right thing for our military and our country, and this memo lays out a framework for discussing the issue while appealing to moderates and Independents.
