'Don't ask, don't tell' repealed in historic Senate vote
Gay rights activists won a 17-year national battle Saturday, as the Senate voted to repeal a divisive policy banning openly homosexual troops from serving in the military under a policy first put in place under President Bill Clinton.
The legislation, which comes on the heels of Illinois' legalization of civil unions, now heads to President Barack Obama's desk, where the commander-in-chief plans to sign into law the repeal he first promised on the campaign trail to enact if elected.
Saturday's 65-31 vote saw eight Republicans buck the party line to vote in favor of repeal.
Among them was new Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, a 21-year naval reservist, whose yea vote signaled a major reversal.
Kirk, in his campaign for Obama's old Senate seat, lost the endorsement from gay rights group The Human Rights Campaign following his vote against repeal of the policy in May. And just last week, gay rights group LGBT Change protested in Chicago over Kirk's vote to again prevent the legislation from moving forward through a provision in the Defense Authorization Bill.
Kirk, on the campaign trail, had pledged to not make a decision on the policy until he'd read a report on the ramifications issued by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
That report, released Nov. 30, surveyed both current and former members of the military. More than 65 percent said repeal of the policy would have a positive, mixed or nonexistent effect on military units.
Kirk said Saturday he “very carefully read the report and met at length with Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead. Following their exhaustive and considered military judgment, I support the Joint Chief's recommendation to implement the repeal of the current policy once the battle effectiveness of the forces is certified and proper preparations are complete.”
Along with Roughead, Kirk said he met with other military leaders, including his first commanding officer, Michael Halbig, now vice academic dean of the U.S. Naval Academy.
“I have one son in the Navy; now I can have another,” Kirk recalled Halbig telling him.
The legislation was able to advance early Saturday afternoon after 66 senators Kirk included voted to bring it up for a vote. The House passed repeal last week in a 250-174 vote.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin also voted in favor of repeal, calling the move “an important step in America's march toward justice.”
Since the “don't ask, don't tell” policy took effect in 1993, more than 13,000 troops have been discharged from service, according to military estimates.
Supporters called the repeal a major civil rights victory parallel to ones on racial integration and women's right to vote.
Opponents, including the Rev. Bob Vanden Bosch, a Wauconda resident who is director of the Concerned Christian Americans lobbying group, expressed concern the change could result in declining enlistment from heterosexual troops.
“I believe you're going to have a lot of young people in the military with strong moral values who will make a decision not to re-up once it's time for enlistment. Young people have very strong feelings about it,” he said.
Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, warned that repeal of the policy would come “at great cost.” He said the change would be a threat to “good order and discipline” in the military during wartime.
A proponent of the change, Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of gay rights group Equality Illinois, said the group was very pleased with Saturday's vote.
“Victory feels good, but hasn't materialized yet,” he said. “We'll wait to see how it's implemented.”
According to the legislation, repeal will only be enacted after the Defense Department has drawn up procedures on how to stop enforcing the ban without impacting retention, cohesion, military recruitment or troop readiness.
After Obama and Pentagon leaders sign off on those procedures, the repeal can be enacted within 60 days.
Chicago resident Lee Reinhart, who was discharged from the Coast Guard under “don't ask, don't tell” in 2002, said he plans to re-enlist as soon as the repeal is implemented.
“I think our military after today will be a much stronger, much more powerful military. When you're serving with people 24/7, if you can't talk about your personal life, and you have to lie or make up stuff, it only weakens (your unit). When I was able to be myself, it made my friendships stronger. It made our service stronger. … This is a blessing.”