[J-bray]

There already are gay service members in the military. They're serving honorably. They're risking their lives. They are courageous.
I think its a shame when in America someone is not able to fight for the country they love because of sexual orientation.

BANNING GAYS HURTS MILITARY READINESS: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) undermines military preparedness by denying the services trained personnel critical to our nation’s defense. The Pentagon has discharged 10,000 service members for being gay in the past decade, the equivalent of two Army brigades. DADT requires gay service members to lie as a condition of service, eroding the bonds of trust necessary for unit cohesion.

THERE ARE ONE MILLION GAY VETERANS; SIXTY-FIVE THOUSAND GAYS CURRENTLY SERVING.

AMERICA’S ALLIES SUPPORT GAYS IN THE MILITARY. Twenty-five nations allow gays in the military, including Israel, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Studies have concluded that lifting the ban in those countries have had no effect on military readiness or unit cohesion. American troops are serving with openly gay troops from 12 countries in Operation Enduring Freedom and 9 countries in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

PENTAGON AND SERVICE LEADERS SUPPORT GAYS IN THE MILITARY. In 1993, General Barry Goldwater said that “You don’t have to be straight, to shoot straight” when he spoke in support of lifting the ban on gays serving in the military. General Wesley Clark, Former Navy Secretary and Senator John Chaffee, Assistant Secretaries of Defense Edward Dorn and Lawrence Korb, all support gays serving in the United States military.

NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCIES DO NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST GAYS. The CIA, DIA, FBI and NSA do not discriminate based on sexual orientation. In a post-September 11 world, these organizations’ contributions to the security of our country are paramount. Except for the military, the federal government does not discriminate based in employment on sexual orientation.


TAXPAYERS SPEND APPROXIMATELY $26 MILLION A YEAR TO TRAIN REPLACEMENTS FOR THOSE DISCHARGED AS LESBIAN, GAY OR BISEXUAL. Taxpayers have spent approximately one quarter of a billion dollars training replacements for discharged gay personnel since the passage of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”