M I LIT A R Y Military leaders: *Don’t Ask’ ban counterproductive Former top brass call for repeal by Matt Comer . Q-Notes staff SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A new report from the University of California- Santa Barbara’s Michael D. Palm Center, led by a team of retired senior flag and general officers from the U.S. military, has concluded that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on openly gay service members is counterproduc tive and should end. The report marks the first time a Marine Corps general has ever called publicly for an end to the gay ban. . “I believe this should have been done much earlier,” said Brigadier General Hugh Aitken, USMC (Ret.), one of the authors of the report. The report makes 10 findings and four recommendations, including that the policy prevents some gay troops from performing their duties; that gays already serve openly; that tolerance of homosexuality in the military has grown dramatically; and that lifting the ban is “unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline, or cohesion.” General John Shalikashvili, the former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who previously favored the gay ban but reversed course last year, endorsed the officers’ new More Support&r Allowing study, calling it “one of the most comprehen sive evaluations of the issue of gays in the mil itary since the Rand study 15 years ago.” The study was based on discussions the senior flag and general officers held with expert panels in Washington, D.C. over the past year. The group heard from senior and enlisted military members, scholar ly experts and government 1 officials. ’ t Prominent “ opponents of 2 letting open I gays serve in S the military were also invit- s ed to testify. S Aaron 5 Belkin, director 3 of the Palm “ Center, said the * £ new report i could bolster S recent inomen- I turn in Congress ^ to change the Gays to Serve Openly in the MiUtaiy 2006 Changa FavOpp V- ♦/ Fgy Qpp •/ */ Favor Total 52 45 60 32 +S Men 44 54 55 37 Women 59 37 66 26 +7 18-29 56 43 72 23 +16 30-49 56 42- 62 30 +6 50-64 47 50 59 35 +12 65+ 41 50 47 39 +6 CoUege grad 61 38 71 21 +10 Some college 58 40 69 27 +11 HS grad or less 46 50 50 40 +4 Northeast 62 36 66 27 +4 Midwest 53 43 61 32 +8 South 42 55 58 35 +16 West 56 41 61 29 +5 Republicans 39 60 46 46 +7 Conservative 30 69 36 58 +6 ModcratefLiberal 54 45 62 29 +8 Democrats 60 36 70 23 +10 Conserv./Mod 57 39 64 29 ■ +7 Liberal 71 27 85 9 +14 Independent 55 42 66 30 +5 Protestant 45 52 53 38 +8 White evangelical ’ 32 66 43 47 +11 White mainline 55 42 63 30 +8 Catholic 58 39 67 26 +9 White, non-Hisp. 58 39 66 29 +8 Secular' 72 26 74 22 +2 policy. “Many lawmakers want to untie the militar/s hands on this polic)^’ Belkin said, “and today’s report will likely add Maisjirhs S O U -1 H END inTURDHY, lUlY 26 PRIDE CHARLOTTE AFTER PARTY ive Performance by Crys Matthews myspace.com/crysmatthews rRIDRY, nUGUIT I DJ ATOMIX ftlWflf. nUOUIT 8 ; DJ LEVI BROWN UICbACXDnYI JOIN US F0R:^TR0JECT RUNWAY” TiiukiDnYi JOIN US FOR "KATHY GRIFFIN: MY LIFE ON THE D-LIST” Open Daily^S p.m. to Va.m. 316 Rensselaer Ave 704-376‘^6l^(FREE Wi-Fi) Charlotte, NC 28203 k h o U S e n c . c o m e . c o m / p inkhousenc pressure on Congress to act.” Results from a mid-March 2006 poll from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows that public acceptance of LGBT people has grown, including views on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Among the results, the poll showed that between 1994 and 2006, acceptance of openly gay service members rose eight percentage points — 60 percent of Americans support allowing open gays in the military, compared with only 52 percent in 1994. The greatest change in views was among poll participants in the South. In 1994, only 42 percent of Southerners favored openly gay serv ice, In 2006,58 percent supported open service. The Pew Research poll was conducted among 1,405 adults from March 8-12,2006. One day after the release of the Palm Center’s report, 52 retired U.S. generals and admirals signed a statement supporting the repeal of the discriminatory U.S. law. The statement read, in part,“We respect fully urge Congress to repeal the‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. Those of us signing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish. As General Colin Powell, Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said when the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy was enacted, it is not the place of the military or those in senior leadership to make moral judgments... “As is the case in Britain, Israel, and other nations which allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, our service members are pro fessionals who are able to work together effectively despite differences in race, gender, religion, and sexuality. Such collaboration reflects the strength and the best traditions of our democracy.” I info: www.palmcenter.org Do you have news items about your organization you wish to share with the community? , Submit your copy and/or photos to editor@q-notes.com. For up-to-date coverage visit; www.q-notes.com the Orolinas’ multimedia LGBT news, source In our next issue: People and Their Pets / Automotive To advertise, call 704.531.9988 or email adrepl@q-notes.com. Worship Location: 304 E. Trinity Ave DurhaM; NC Sunday School 1:30pm Worship Service 2:45pm Call 919.403.6881 OR Visit www.imanimcc.org -iilMPliP' . ■ :• ctr;"" JULY 26.2008 • Q-NOTES I 3