Ill. Senate candidates divided on gays in military

[October 13, 2009]  SPRINGFIELD (AP) -- Illinois' Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate want to overturn the nation's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays serving in the military, but they're divided on the urgency of making the change.

Alexi Giannoulias said last week that he doesn't argue with the Obama administration's decision to delay action. Three other candidates, however, said they think the policy should be dropped immediately.

"These are patriotic Americans who should not be discriminated against," said one Democrat, Chicago's former inspector general David Hoffman. "While this policy change needs to be coordinated with military leaders, it should be done as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, two Republican candidates said they support keeping the policy in place.

Mark Kirk, a member of Congress and commander in the Naval Reserves, said in an e-mail that he supports "don't ask, don't tell." He wouldn't answer any further questions about his thinking on the issue.

Attorney Patrick Hughes said he backs the policy because many military leaders believe allowing gays to serve openly would undermine morale.

"Don't ask, don't tell," which was adopted under President Bill Clinton, says gays and lesbians can be kicked out of the military solely for their sexual orientation, but military leaders are not supposed to investigate troops' private lives. About 13,000 service members have been discharged under the policy since it was adopted in 1993.

President Barack Obama campaigned on a promise to end the policy, a promise he repeated Saturday in a speech to the Human Rights Campaign, a gay civil rights advocacy group.

But his administration has said several times that it won't take action anytime soon. National security adviser James Jones said last weekend that Obama has other pressing issues and will address gays in the military "at the right time."

Giannoulias, the state treasurer, said last week that the country shouldn't turn away people volunteering to serve in the military, particularly when fighting two wars. "There are a lot of good people we lose because of this law," he said.

He didn't object to Obama's decision to wait.

"I'm not going to try to figure out what timeline is best for the administration," Giannoulias said.

Other Democrats were more emphatic.

"Now is the time to do it," said attorney Jacob Meister. "It's an outdated policy, and it's really a matter of civil rights, too."

Cheryle Robinson Jackson, former head of the Chicago Urban League, believes the "unjust and ineffective" policy should end immediately, said spokesman Bob Kettlewell.

Kettlewell noted a new report that found women were far more likely than men to be kicked out of the military under "don't ask, don't tell."

Women accounted for 15 percent of all active-duty and reserve members of the military but more than one-third of the 619 people discharged last year for their sexual orientation, according to the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

And a new article in the Pentagon publication Joint Force Quarterly concludes that having openly gay troops in the ranks will not hurt combat readiness. "Based on this research, it is not time for the administration to re-examine the issue; rather it is time for the administration to examine how to implement the repeal of the ban," says the article written by Air Force Col. Om Prakash.

Rick Garcia, political director of the gay rights group Equality Illinois, said ending "don't ask, don't tell" is a top priority. He called it unfair to people who want to serve their country and detrimental to national security.

He said all Senate candidate should be pushing for quick action by the Obama administration.

"These Senate candidates, every one of them, need to get a backbone and stand up for what's right," Garcia said.

Hughes, one of the Republican Senate candidates, called "don't ask, don't tell" an imperfect policy but said there is no viable alternative. Kirk, although he wouldn't answer questions, noted in his e-mail that the policy began under Clinton and Colin Powell, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Peter LaBarbera, president of the Illinois-based Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, said he was pleased to see Kirk joining more conservative politicians in opposing any change in the policy on gays in the military. LaBarbera argued that letting gays serve openly would hurt morale and discourage enlistment.

"In a time of war," he said, "it's preposterous to think of making such a change."

[Associated Press; By CHRISTOPHER WILLS]

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