***
The
Honorable Barack H. Obama
President
of the United States
The
White House
Washington,
D.C. 20500
Dear
President Obama:
The United States of America prides itself on having the
finest military in the world because of the hard work, dedication, and
sacrifices of our brave servicemen and women.
And yet, under 10 U.S.C. § 654 (Policy Concerning Homosexuality in the
Armed Forces), better known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the talents and
contributions of our openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
service members continue to be ignored simply because of who they are. Every day, we lose approximately two service
members to this misguided, unjust, and flat-out discriminatory policy. Don't Ask, Don't Tell is not only an injustice
to them, but a disservice to the U.S. military and our country as a whole.
As you know,
Don't Ask, Don't Tell was signed into law in 1993 by former President Bill
Clinton as a compromise to allow gay and lesbian service members to serve in
the military – so long as they did not disclose their sexual orientations.
Fifteen years later, Don't Ask Don't Tell is instead negatively impacting the
lives and livelihoods of these military professionals and depriving our Armed
Forces of their honorable service. Since you took office on January 20, 2009,
more than 250 gay and lesbian service members have been discharged under this
law, which continues to undermine and demoralize the more than 65,000 gay and
lesbian Americans currently serving on active duty.
Although we are
confident that you will remain true to your campaign promise to end Don't Ask,
Don't Tell, our LGBT service members and our country's national security will
continue to suffer if initial action is delayed until 2010 or 2011. We
urge you to exercise the maximum discretion legally possible in administering
Don't Ask, Don't Tell until Congress repeals the law. To this end, we ask
that you direct the Armed Services not to initiate any investigation of service
personnel to determine their sexual orientation, and that you instruct them to
disregard third party accusations that do not allege violations of the Uniform
Code of Military Justice. That is, we request that you impose that no one
is asked and that you ignore, as the law requires, third parties who
tell. Under your leadership, Congress must then repeal and replace Don't
Ask, Don't Tell with a policy of inclusion and non-discrimination. This
bilateral strategy would allow our openly
gay and lesbian service members to continue serving our country and demonstrate
our nation's lasting commitment to justice and equality for all.
As the United
States continues to work towards responsibly ending the War in Iraq and refocus
on the threat from al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, our LGBT service
members offer invaluable skills that enhance our country's military competence
and readiness. Despite the great strain on our military's human
resources, the Armed Forces have discharged almost 800 mission-critical troops
and at least 59 Arabic and nine Farsi linguists under Don't Ask, Don't Tell in
the last five years. This is indefensible. The financial cost alone
of implementing Don't Ask, Don't Tell from Fiscal Year 1994-2003 was more than
$363.8 million. Our nation's military has always held itself to the
highest standards, and we must recruit and retain the greatest number of our
best and brightest. To do anything less only hurts our country's military
readiness and our service members.
We also want to
bring to your attention the most recent examples of the failed Don't Ask, Don't
Tell policy in action. New York National Guard First Lieutenant Dan Choi
and Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach are two exceptional
servicemen who have dedicated their lives to defending our country and
protecting the American people. Their bravery and abilities have been
tested in combat, and now they face impending discharge under Don't Ask, Don't
Tell.
First Lieutenant
Choi, a current National Guardsman with the 1st Battalion of the 69th
Infantry in Manhattan, is a West Point graduate, Arabic language specialist,
and Iraq War veteran who is under investigation for refusing to lie about his
identity.
Lieutenant
Colonel Fehrenbach, Assistant Director of Operations for the 366th
Operations Support Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, has
honorably served his country for 18 years as an F-15E pilot. He has
received nine air medals, including a Medal for Heroism during the 2003
invasion of Iraq, and was hand-picked to protect the airspace over Washington,
D.C. after the Pentagon was attacked on September 11, 2001. Lieutenant
Colonel Fehrenbach, who has flown combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan
against the Taliban and al Qaeda, continues to serve while the recommendation
for his honorable discharge moves forward to a review board, and eventually to
the Secretary of the Air Force. Just two years away from his 20-year
retirement, he stands to lose $46,000 a year in retirement and medical benefits
for the rest of his life if discharged.
The American
people and service members of the Armed Forces overwhelmingly support the
repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. According to a national Gallup poll
conducted in May 2009, 69 percent of Americans, including 58 percent of
Republicans, favor allowing openly gay men and lesbian women to serve in the
military. Furthermore, a 2006 poll of 545 troops who served in Iraq and
Afghanistan by Zogby International and the Michael D. Palm Center at the
University of California, Santa Barbara revealed that 73 percent are personally
comfortable with gay men and lesbian women. John
Shalikashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Clinton
administration, and more than 100 retired admirals and generals support this
repeal, in addition to the Human Rights Campaign, the Servicemembers Legal
Defense Network, and Knights Out, an organization of LGBT West Point alumni
co-founded by First Lieutenant Choi.
Mr. President,
we cannot afford to lose any more of our dedicated and talented service members
to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. On behalf of First Lieutenant Choi, Lieutenant
Colonel Fehrenbach, and the more than 12,500 gay and lesbian service members
who have been discharged since Don't Ask, Don't Tell was implemented in 1994,
we stand ready to assist you in repealing this dishonorable and debilitating
law as soon as possible, and in restoring justice and equality in our Armed
Forces.
Please know that we will continue to
monitor this situation and are hopeful that, together, we can address this
urgent issue soon. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward
to your response.
***
The
letter was authored by Hastings and signed by Representatives Barney Frank
(D-MA), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-CA), Edward J. Markey
(D-MA), Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Jim
McDermott (D-WA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), José Serrano (D-NY), James Moran
(D-VA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ed Pastor (D-AZ),
James Clyburn (D-SC), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Bob Filner (D-CA), Luis Gutierrez
(D-IL), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Robert "Bobby"
Scott (D-VA), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Melvin Watt (D-NC),
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Jane Harman
(D-CA), Lois Capps (D-CA), Donna M. Christensen (D-VI), Diana DeGette (D-CO),
Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH),
Barbara Lee (D-CA), James McGovern (D-MA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Robert Wexler
(D-FL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Michael Capuano (D-MA),
Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Rush Holt (D-NJ), John Larson (D-CT), Grace Napolitano
(D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), David Wu (D-OR), William
Lacy Clay (D-MO), Mike Honda (D-CA), James Langevin (D-RI), Betty McCollum
(D-MN), Diane Watson (D-CA), Tim Bishop (D-NY), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Linda
Sánchez (D-CA), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Gwen Moore (D-WI),
Debbie Wasserman Schulz (D-FL), André Carson (D-IN), Kathy Castor (D-FL),
Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Donna F. Edwards (D-MD), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Marcia L.
Fudge (D-OH), Phil Hare (D-IL), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Laura Richardson
(D-CA), Joe Sestak (D-PA), Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Alan
Grayson (D-FL), Jared Polis (D-CO), Mike Quigley (D-IL), and Gregorio Sablan
(D-MP).
