On the recordMay 27, 2010
It is time to repeal the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue'' policy and to allow lesbian, gay and bisexual persons to serve openly in the military. From the initial introduction of this profoundly misguided policy in 1993, I have never wavered in my belief that our nation's armed forces should not discriminate against otherwise qualified citizens on the basis of their sexual orientation. Today, at a time when our nation is engaged militarily in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the extent to which the so-called compromise ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy has damaged America's military readiness has become even more apparent than it was seventeen years ago. The policy against allowing lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members to serve openly has resulted in depriving our armed forces of the abilities, experience and dedication of thousands of qualified active duty personnel. This institutionalized discrimination is completely illogical and counter-productive as we grapple with an increasingly dangerous world, with our servicemembers serving all over the world The U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO, has documented the cost to our nation. In 2005, the GAO estimated the cost of discriminating against service members on the basis of their sexual orientation at nearly $200 million over the course of just the last decade.
