DADT: Pray It's not the Train

Too many times, both personally and politically, gays and lesbians (not unlike straight people) are willing to settle for the quick fix instead of digging in their heels, sticking to their proverbial guns and not giving up until they get what they really want and deserve (and yes, I include myself).

Gays and lesbians were a formidable part of Bill Clinton's election in 1993, spurred on by promises he made to our community and a supposed solidarity with our struggle for equality.

What we got for our efforts and our naivete was DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act, 1996) and DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell, 1993). More than a decade later and we are now struggling to overturn what we were once so willing to settle for. Nor have we learned our lesson: This past fall, after much heated divisiveness in our own community, a non-inclusive ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) was passed, defended by none other than openly gay Congressman Barney Frank:

"The current manifestation of this is the difficult set of decisions we face regarding the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. We are on the verge of an historic victory that supporters of civil rights have been working on for more than thirty years: the passage for the first time in American history by either house of Congress of legislation declaring it illegal to discriminate against people in employment based on their sexual orientation. Detracting from the sense of celebration many of us feel about that is regret that under the current political situation, we do not have sufficient support in the House to include in that bill explicit protection for people who are transgender. The question facing us – the LGBT community and the tens of millions of others who are active supporters of our fight against prejudice – is whether we should pass up the chance to adopt a very good bill because it has one major gap. I believe that it would be a grave error to let this opportunity to pass a sexual orientation nondiscrimination bill go forward, not simply because it is one of the most important advances we’ll have made in securing civil rights for Americans in decades, but because moving forward on this bill now will also better serve the ultimate goal of including people who are transgender than simply accepting total defeat today...Passing ENDA in part and then moving on to add transgender provisions when we can is clearly preferable.."

So, with almost certainty, we will still be struggling to get what we really wanted because we were too willing to take what we could get.

As my friend Del used to say,

"Keep your eye on the light at the end of the tunnel. And pray it's not the train."

But, they say (whoever they are), there's always hope.

This past Sunday at a graduation ceremony at the U.S. Military Academy, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen expressed a willingness to accept gay and lesbian service men and women should DADT be repealed.

This, of course, will not happen under a McCain presidency; and even though the Democratic candidates have expressed favor for repealing the policy, we have heard similar promises in the past. Still, Mullen's comments offer a glimmer of hope should the Military Readiness Enhancement Act pass.

There is no evidence, as claimed by opponents, that gays and lesbians in military service in any way diminish military capability or morale or that their presence in the armed services threatens national security. The assertion, as we all know, is preposterous and merely feeds on outdated prejudices and homophobia. The British military is a prime example:Since allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in 2000, initial concerns have been laid to rest and it has become a "non-issue," as it should be.

But in the U.S. we are still waiting.

The end we want may be coming soon; bipartisan support of MREA is high. And there are the promises of Clinton and Obama to hold on to yet. Still, it is not entirely up to them. It is up to us. If they are ready (as they say they are) then we must be ready too. We cannot back down this time. The goal is too close at hand; the light is within reach.

Let's just pray it's not the train again.