Dump "don't ask, don't tell"

Fifteen years after Congress passed the "don't ask, don't tell" law requiring gays in the military to keep their personal lives to themselves, the law is ready to be revamped and modernized.

Cultural attitudes evolve. Gays serve in the military without causing any of the problems suspected in 1993 when the law was passed. The theory held that gays who were vocal about their sexual orientation would undermine unit cohesion, hurt morale and recruitment.

None of that is true. Under the unfair "don't ask, don't tell" rule, gay and lesbian military men and women are treated as second-class citizens.

The law prevents the military from asking recruits to specify sexual orientation; service members are not to say they are gay or bisexual, engage in homosexual activity or marry a member of the same sex.

The U.S. military, like the rest of America, is becoming more culturally advanced. Fear of gays serving openly and harming effectiveness is just that — fear.

A new study conducted by four retired military officers, including an Air Force lieutenant general who helped implement the policy for President Bill Clinton, says gays and lesbians serving openly in the military are unlikely to pose significant problems.

One military expert after the next says that was mistaken policy.

John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the Pentagon enacted its policy, wrote an important New York Times op-ed piece last year, disavowing the policy.

As the nation's top military adviser in 1993, Shalikashvili, who lives in the Puget Sound area, believed gays serving openly in the military would hurt morale and recruitment and cohesion of combat units. He wrote the opinion piece to say he changed his mind.

Congressman Adam Smith, D-Tacoma, is a co-sponsor of a bill that would get rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. "Our military needs all the help it can get," said Smith. "To discriminate against people for no good reason doesn't make any sense."

The bill has not been moving, but it should.

Attitudes change. Acceptance grows. Gays and lesbians offer their lives to help their country. The law should be updated to reflect the respect Americans hold for these soldiers who serve their nation proudly.