WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials studying ways to permit gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military are in a quandary: They want to gather the unique insights and attitudes of homosexuals in uniform, but to identify and interview gay troops would, under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’’ policy, mean that disciplinary action would have to be brought against them.
Since 1993, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’’ policy has resulted in an estimated 13,000 service members being discharged because of their sexual preference.
In an effort to get around the interview catch-22, the Defense Department authorized the hiring this week of an outside contractor to confidentially gather the views of troops and their families, several Pentagon officials privy to the deliberations said.
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The survey comes at a crucial point in consideration of whether to enact President Obama’s stated desire to end the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’’ policy 17 years after it was put in place. Criticism of the Pentagon review is growing on Capitol Hill, where some leading Democrats say they will push for repeal of the law in the coming weeks despite a plea from Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates to wait until the Pentagon review is completed by Dec. 1.
“This survey should not be a substitute for making a decision to repeal the policy,’’ said Representative Barney Frank , a Massachusetts Democrat who has expressed concern that the Pentagon review will be used as an excuse to delay action on overturning the gay ban.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/05/20/troops_to_weigh_in_on_dont_ask_policy/?page=2
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