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Area congressmen object to ending military gay ban

By Jack Torry, Washington Bureau Updated 9:07 AM Thursday, February 4, 2010

WASHINGTON — Republican congressmen Steve Austria and Jim Jordan objected Wednesday, Feb. 3, to Pentagon plans to end a ban on gays and lesbians openly serving in the armed forces.

Jordan, R-Urbana, and Austria, R-Beavercreek, issued their critical statements just one day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he would appoint a high-level panel to review ways to end the prohibition within a year.

Under current policy, which is known as "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell," military recruits are not asked their sexual orientation, but they face dismissal if they admit they are gay or lesbian.

"I would have great concerns about what introducing open homosexuality into the military might do to jeopardize the effectiveness, readiness and preparedness of our military," Jordan said, adding that "active duty military service and civilian life are vastly different."

Austria said that the current policy "seems to be working and we should be consulting with our commanders on the ground on whether or not there is a problem and if the current policy needs to be reviewed."

In dramatic testimony Tuesday before a Senate panel, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said, “It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do."

Congress approved "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell," in 1993. President Bill Clinton had wanted to issue an executive order permitting gays to openly serve in the military, but he encountered intense opposition from Colin Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Ironically, Powell reversed himself on Wednesday, issuing a statement saying that "in the almost 17 years since the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed."

A spokeswoman for Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said he backs a repeal of the current policy.

Austria and Jordan echoed House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, who on NBC’s "Meet the Press" Sunday asked, "In the middle of two wars and in the middle of this giant security threat, why would we want to get into this debate?"

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