Gay rights advocates urge Pentagon officials to accelerate DADT repeal
Wed. March 23, 2011 4:35 AM by OnTopMag.com
Washington, D.C. -
A gay rights group is calling on military leaders to accelerate the timeline for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' training, the final hurdle to repeal the policy that bans gay and bisexual troops from serving openly.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) has accused the Pentagon of dragging its feet.
"This training is not rocket science. The Services can get this done by April 30th," Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of SLDN, said in a statement released Tuesday. "The repeal legislation established only one requirement before the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs could certify that the armed forces were ready for repeal – that the Pentagon had prepared the necessary policies and regulations. Ninety days later, the relatively straightforward task has not been completed and we're being told it won't be completed for several more months."
The Pentagon has said it expects to complete training sometime in August, which would mean that full repeal could not take effect until October.
"It's simply taking too long, and it's time to speed up the process," Sarvis said.
Sarvis also renewed the group's call for the president to issue an executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the armed forces.
"Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is not by itself enough. The job is not done. As the President has said, we must also implement anti-harassment policies and protocols and do everything we can to make this transition as smooth as possible for our armed forces and our service members," Sarvis added.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) has accused the Pentagon of dragging its feet.
"This training is not rocket science. The Services can get this done by April 30th," Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of SLDN, said in a statement released Tuesday. "The repeal legislation established only one requirement before the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs could certify that the armed forces were ready for repeal – that the Pentagon had prepared the necessary policies and regulations. Ninety days later, the relatively straightforward task has not been completed and we're being told it won't be completed for several more months."
The Pentagon has said it expects to complete training sometime in August, which would mean that full repeal could not take effect until October.
"It's simply taking too long, and it's time to speed up the process," Sarvis said.
Sarvis also renewed the group's call for the president to issue an executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the armed forces.
"Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is not by itself enough. The job is not done. As the President has said, we must also implement anti-harassment policies and protocols and do everything we can to make this transition as smooth as possible for our armed forces and our service members," Sarvis added.
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine