A new study of foreign militaries to be released tomorrow by The Palm Center shows that repealing a ban on gays in the military will not be disruptive: "The finding is in direct opposition to the stated views of Pentagon leaders, who say repealing a ban on openly gay men and women in the United States armed forces should take a year or more."
More: "The 151-page study, which updates existing studies on gay service members in Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and other countries, offers the first broad look at the issue in foreign militaries since Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for an end to “don't ask, don't tell” earlier this month.
The report concludes that in foreign militaries, openly gay service members did not undermine morale, cause large resignations or mass 'comings out.' The report found that 'there were no instances of increased harassment' as a result of lifting bans in any of the countries studied.
In addition, the report says that none of the countries studied installed separate facilities for gay troops, and that benefits for gay partners were generally in accordance with a country's existing benefits for gay and lesbian couples."
And here's the weekend's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' news if you missed it:
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty on DADT: 'If it's not broke, don't fix it.' [tr]
Video: Petraeus Not Sure Troops Care if Fellow Soldiers Are Gay [tr]
DADT: Service Chiefs to Testify on Capitol Hill This Week [tr]
Rick Santorum at CPAC: Military Leaders 'Indoctrinated' to Support DADT [tr]