On July 12 at City Hall, five Chicago aldermen who serve on the city council's Committee on Human Relations voted unanimously to pass a resolution that calls for the end of the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy.
Aldermen Tom Tunney of the 44th Ward, James Balcer of the 11th Ward, John Pope of the 10th Ward, Leslie Hairston of the 5th Ward, and chairman Billy Ocasio of the 26th Ward all put their stamps of approval on the resolution that urges the U.S. Congress to pass the Military Enhancement Act of 2005. Tunney originally introduced the measure at a June 8 council meeting. To date, 33 members of the council have signed on to express their support of the resolution.
Last week's hearing featured words from the aldermen as well as statements from other individuals who weighed in on the military and the resolution. Tunney noted that the resolution is in step with Chicago's stance against sexual orientation discrimination.
Tunney added 'the young men and women from Chicago who serve in the military leave our city—a place of acceptance and tolerance and diversity—and enter an institution where discrimination is codified. We owe it to all Chicago servicemembers to stand up for who they are and have the most basic values of truth and honesty follow them into the military.' He added that his aim 'is to win unanimous support from ... the whole Council and send a strong statement to the President and our representatives in Congress that intolerance and discrimination have no place in our society.'
Balcer mentioned the irony that on the date of the hearing ( 38 years ago ) , he enlisted in the Marine Corps; he then served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. He also said that he was proud of his record and supporting the resolution. 'My position has always been and will continue to be very simple. Show me one case where we lost one person in combat because of a gay or lesbian, [ and ] I will back off this issue. ... Gays and lesbians serve honorably in the military,' Balcer declared. Pope opined that making 'sexual [ orientation ] a consideration or issue is way out of touch with the mainstream.' He added that terrorists do not discriminate when they kill so the military should not be biased in selecting those who fight them.
Hairston said that it seems that a different group is targeted each decade: 'At one time it was Blacks, it was women, and now it's the gay and lesbian community.' She added that 'we, as the United States, don't need to perpetuate discrimination so I too signed on to this resolution.' Ocasio also voiced his support for the measure. 'What you have is a group of people who wants to serve and they're being told they can't. These people are part of our country,' he said.
Bill Greaves, director/community liaison of the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues, recognized the council's support of the resolution. 'The council's support is consistent with its long-term policy and programs,' he stated. 'As far back as 1992, the Commission's Advisory Council on Veterans' Affairs and the Advisory Council on Gay and Lesbian Issues proposed a joint resolution calling for the immediate end to the ban on lesbians and gay men serving in the armed forces of the United States. The board of the Commission on Human Relations voted in December, 1992, to support that resolution and requested Mayor Daley to ask then-President [ Bill ] Clinton, Congress and the Defense Department to end the ban. In endorsing the resolution, the board acknowledged that thousands of members of Chicago's lesbian and gay community had served honorably and with distinction in the U.S. military.' Greaves also discussed the 2003 launch of the annual salute to LGBT veterans which also 'offers support for the current 65,000 LGBT servicemembers in the U.S. military and it annually calls for an end to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.''
Dr. Jose Zuniga, president and CEO of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, talked about his military lineage ( complete with ancestors who fought in the Spanish-American War ) and how 'there was no question' he would wear his country's uniform in order to serve. Zuniga, who was a medic in the Gulf War and the Sixth Army 1992 Soldier of the Year, also talked about his greatest regret—'being denied the right to equality under the law' because he participated in a 1993 March on Washington to support LGBT rights. He was offered an honorable discharge, confirming in his mind that 'not all men are truly created equal.' Zuniga also cited the Clinton and Bush administrations as being contributors to the aura of discrimination that pervades the military: 'With all due respect, [ Clinton ] wanted to end discrimination in the armed forces. Instead, he presided over the institutionalization of anti-gay animus.' Zuniga's potent speech also included a question many have asked: 'In the middle of a war that is being fought on several fronts, how do we justify 2,966 servicemembers [ being ] discharged under [ the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ] policy from 2001-2003?' Additionally, Zuniga mentioned how other nations have revoked their policies to allow gay and lesbian soldiers to fight alongside heterosexual servicemembers. 'To date, there have been no reported instances of disruption in unit cohesion as U.S. soldiers wage battle alongside Western military forces that do not exclude gay men and lesbians from military service.'
Next to speak was James Darby, president of the local chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights ( AVER ) . He thanked Tunney for 'having the courage to introduce the resolution' and talked about how easily he could have avoided joining the military in 1952 but did so because it was important to serve his country. He added that when he read that this country expelled 37 Arabic translators, he was 'completely appalled.' ( Darby himself worked under the National Security Agency as a translator of Russian. ) Also, Darby talked about the fact that there are more than one million LGBT veterans and that 'it's about time that the government recognizes our service to this country.' Balcer asked Darby about the latter's substantial involvement in various military events.
Will Schmutz is director/community liaison of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations Advisory Council on Veterans' Affairs. He said that 99 percent of Chicago-area veterans that he has spoken with 'believe that gays and lesbians should serve openly in the military. A common answer that came from these veterans was that ' [ I ] f [ gays and lesbians ] are willing to join and risk their lives, they shouldn't be asked anything. They should be thanked for their patriotism.''
Jean Albright, a former Master Sergeant who spent 20 years in the Air Force and a current member of the board of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, discussed how the military has over the years justified attempting to keep gays out. For example, she cited a 1949 report that implicated gays and lesbians as security risks. Albright then discussed the 1981 decision of the U.S. Department of Defense to declare homosexuality 'incompatible with military service.' She also talked about the skyrocketing numbers of servicemembers who have been harassed since the implementation of 'Don't Ask,' specifically recalling the murders of Barry Winchell and Allen Schindler.
In addition, Albright thanked Ald. Tunney for 'bringing up this question and ... for considering ... a recommendation in support of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act.' [ See Albright's speech elsewhere this issue. ]
Greaves then read a letter on behalf of John D. Moore, a professor of health sciences at American Military University. 'I humbly and respectfully implore the elected representatives gathered here today to pass the proposed resolution to strike down the discriminatory policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. ... Speaking as an educator and mental health specialist, I can tell you personally that many military students and clients I work with experience extreme stress on a daily basis, living in fear that they will be discovered as being gay or lesbian,' Greaves read in part.
Boston hearing
In related news, a federal judge in Boston heard arguments in the case of Cook v. Rumsfeld, a constitutional court challenge to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' filed by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ( SLDN ) in December, according to a press release from the organization. Judge George A. O'Toole, Jr., heard arguments regarding the government's motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed on behalf of twelve former service members discharged under the military's gay ban. The plaintiffs are represented by SLDN and the law offices of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.
C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of SLDN, stated that he and the plaintiffs 'believe it is a strong case that deserves to be heard and we are pleased to have had the opportunity to present our arguments to the court. We believe that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is an unconstitutional law that harms our military and our national security.
'Americans do not care if the helicopter pilot crossing enemy lines to rescue their wounded son is gay, or if the medic assisting their daughter is a lesbian. They care if we have skilled and able soldiers who will fight terrorism and protect our homeland.'
