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New bill would let gays serve openly

A key member of the House Armed Services Committee is reintroducing a bill that would allow gay men and lesbians to openly serve in the military.

Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., chairman of the armed services oversight and investigations subcommittee that is expected to scour military records to see what mistakes the Bush administration has made in Iraq, believes the so-called “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” policy on homosexuals in the military established in law during the Clinton administration is both “wildly unpopular” and is hurting military readiness.

Meehan calls his bill to repeal the homosexual ban the Military Readiness Enhancement Act because he thinks the services are either losing or missing out on quality volunteers because service by openly gay or lesbian people is not permitted. The current policy allows gays to serve as long as they do not declare their sexual orientation and do not engage in homosexual conduct. If they do, the policy calls for their immediate separation from service.

Meehan’s bill would prohibit the military from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, and it would specifically authorize anyone separated for homosexuality, bisexuality or homosexual conduct to be allowed back into the military if they wish.

This is not a new effort for Meehan, who has been sponsoring similar legislation since 2005 and has gathered as many as 122 co-sponsors. That is not enough support for his measure to pass, as it takes 218 votes to get a bill through the House of Representatives.

Meehan’s effort may get a boost from retired Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, the first Marine to be wounded in the Iraq war. At a Wednesday press conference at which Meehan reintroduced his legislation, Alva announced that he is gay and will serve as the Human Rights Campaign’s national spokesperson in an effort to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

On March 21, 2003, Alva was in charge of 11 Marines in a supply unit in Iraq when he stepped on a landmine and lost his right leg. Alva spent months of rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where he was visited by President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his service and received a medical discharge from the military.

“When Eric Alva lost his leg in Iraq, it didn’t matter whether he was gay or straight, only that he was a courageous American serving his country,” Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said in a statement. “Eric’s voice represents the sacrifice of thousands of gay and lesbian service members fighting for the safety and freedom of all Americans. We believe his story should help move this issue forward and educate Congress as to why it’s so important to lift the discriminatory ban that compromises our nation’s security.”

“Any Americans willing to serve their country shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not the government will give them fair and equal treatment when they return home,” Alva said. “My proudest moment in the military came when I would confide in one of my friends about my sexual orientation, and they still treated me with the same respect as before. And although I’m no longer wearing the uniform of the U.S. Marine Corps, my mission continues to be protecting the rights and freedoms of all Americans.”

Whether Meehan will stick around to see the bill come to a vote is unclear because he is being considered for a job as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts’ Lowell campus.

Meehan has gathered around him a collection of veterans, including Iraq war veterans, and human rights groups, who support the repeal of the 1993 military policy. But there also is a wall of opponents.

Elaine Donnelly, president of the Michigan-based Center for Military Readiness, said Meehan’s efforts are misplaced.

“At a time when Congress should be supporting the troops in genuine ways, some liberal members of Congress, led by Marty Meehan, are trying again to impose the homosexual agenda on the men and women of the military,” she said.

Meehan and his supports say that public attitudes have shifted and that Americans are more accepting of having homosexuals in uniform. But Donnelly said that on the key question of whether gays and lesbians should be allowed to openly serve in the military, only about 26 percent agreed in a Zogby Poll in December.

“There is little evidence of actual support for legislation to repeal the 1993 law that codified the pre-Clinton ban on homosexuals in the military,” Donnelly said. “Most Democrats have more pressing things to do, and Republicans see no need to repeal the homosexual conduct law that was passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities, and has been upheld as constitutional by federal courts several times.”

In 2005, the Government Accountability Office estimated that the cost to recruit and train replacements for the thousands of service members separated under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban was more than $190 million from 1994 through 2003.