Gay military group tells troops not to answer DADT survey
Fri. July 9, 2010 7:59 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
Washington, D.C. -
A group that advocates for gays in the military is telling those troops not to answer the Pentagon's new "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" survey.
The survey was sent this week to 400,000 troops as part of the military's review of how to best end the ban on gays in the military. It is mostly multiple choice questions and is supposed to be anonymous.
However, there is a section that is accessed online with a PIN number. The consulting firm that is organizing the survey (since it's illegal for the Pentagon to "ask" about gays) insists the PIN numbers do not carry any identification and that moderators will delete names if they are brought up.
"While the surveys are apparently designed to protect the individual's privacy, there is no guarantee of privacy and DOD has not agreed to provide immunity to service members whose privacy may be inadvertently violated or who inadvertently outs himself or herself," said Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis. "If a service member still wishes to participate, he or she should only do so in a manner that does not reveal sexual orientation."
However, the Human Rights Campaign supports the survey.
The surveys are supposed to be completed by mid-August, with the results presented to the President in late fall.
The survey was sent this week to 400,000 troops as part of the military's review of how to best end the ban on gays in the military. It is mostly multiple choice questions and is supposed to be anonymous.
However, there is a section that is accessed online with a PIN number. The consulting firm that is organizing the survey (since it's illegal for the Pentagon to "ask" about gays) insists the PIN numbers do not carry any identification and that moderators will delete names if they are brought up.
"While the surveys are apparently designed to protect the individual's privacy, there is no guarantee of privacy and DOD has not agreed to provide immunity to service members whose privacy may be inadvertently violated or who inadvertently outs himself or herself," said Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis. "If a service member still wishes to participate, he or she should only do so in a manner that does not reveal sexual orientation."
However, the Human Rights Campaign supports the survey.
The surveys are supposed to be completed by mid-August, with the results presented to the President in late fall.