'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Gives Obama Big Headaches

Filed under: News, Politics, President Obama, Race and Civil Rights

Military forces have existed for thousands of years. So have gay people.

So why they haven't found a way to co-exist in this country over the past two decades presents not only a mystery but a major headache to U.S. policymakers trying to respect the rights of gay and straight service members alike.

No one is getting twisted in the controversy over gays in the military as much as President Barack Obama, who may find himself in the position of rescuing a ban on openly gay service members that he has long vowed to end.

It seemed the Obama administration got everything it was looking for when a U.S. District Judge ordered the military to immediately end the 1993 "don't ask, don"t tell" law that allows gays to serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation secret.

Remember, Obama has long campaigned on ending the law, saying that gays have the right to defend their country and that the ban is discriminatory.

But before the administration could start celebrating, the light went on over their heads that sometimes you should be careful of what you wish for. The possible immediate lifting of the openly gay ban unearthed a number of thorny questions for policymakers.

What happens if significant numbers of service members began to reveal they are gay? What would happen to those soldiers if they revealed their sexual orientation and the law was somehow reinstated? Would openly gay service members face a backlash from straight service members?

Defense Secretary Robert Gates summed up the administration concerns warning of "enormous consequences" if the judge's ruling was allowed to stand.

So it is likely that Obama will have the Justice Department challenge the judge's order, even though he fundamentally agrees with it. Only in Washington can an issue that shouldn't be an issue get so much time and attention from national leaders.

It's difficult to figure out where this will end.

Despite Obama's quest to end the ban, there are many high-profile military folks who strongly believe that having openly gay service members in uniform will hurt morale and troop cohesion.

All I know is that neither gay people nor the military are new to this world. Can't policymakers find a way for them to coexist in peace?

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