‘Beginning the Conversation’

Rep. Susan Davis of San Diego has been pressing her colleagues in the House Armed Services Committee to review the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy that bans military service for people who are openly gay. On Wednesday, Davis gets her wish when the House Military Personnel Subcommittee she chairs holds the first formal congressional hearing on the controversial law since it was enacted in November 1993.

Crafted by Colin Powell, military sociologist Charles Moskos, and former senator Sam Nunn, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was a compromise between President Bill Clinton and the hard-liners in Congress who wanted to maintain the complete ban on gays in the military. In the 15 years since it passed, according to government statistics, 12,600 service members have been dismissed under the policy (most were honorably discharged), including nearly 800 with skills deemed "mission-critical" by the Pentagon: 322 were language experts, and of those 60 were proficient in Arabic.

Davis says subcommittee members will look at both the personal and operational aspects of the policy but will focus on the toll it takes on those who've been discharged and their families. Among those scheduled to testify is former Marine S/Sgt. Eric F. Alva, the first American wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Alva, who lost a leg when he stepped on a land mine, has since become a crusader for gay rights in the military. On Saturday, a new Washington Post-ABC poll revealed that 75 percent of Americans now think gays who are open about their sexuality should be allowed to serve in the armed forces.

Support for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is split generally now along party lines. Of the two presumptive presidential nominees, John McCain supports it, while Barack Obama thinks it's counterproductive and says he'll work to repeal it if elected. Davis, whose husband served as a doctor in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, is cosponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (HR 1246), which would replace "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" with a policy of nondiscrimination in the military based on sexual orientation. Davis spoke with NEWSWEEK's Jamie Reno about the upcoming hearing and what she hopes and expects to happen as a result. Excerpts:
 
NEWSWEEK: You've been pushing for this hearing, so what do you hope to accomplish this week?
Susan Davis: This issue is important to a lot of people. We just want to break the ice, to hear from people and start a conversation about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" that has not taken place. I had hoped to hear from the Department of Defense; I wanted to include them in the hearing. We would have liked to discuss with them the recruitment and retention issues that are so vital at this time of war. But essentially all we're hearing from them is that they are upholding the existing law and that it isn't appropriate to comment. So I think it's up to Congress and the American people. We're beginning the conversation.

No one expects that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will be repealed during this administration, so what is the real goal here?
I think we all understand that we aren't going to see this overturned in the next few months, but I would think this will begin a conversation and that over the next few years people will take a closer look at it. We certainly will. It's just time we look at this policy from a real-world perspective, to talk about how it affects real families and how it affects real-world military operations.

Do you think that, if elected, Barack Obama would be able to convince anyone in Republican congressional leadership to vote to overturn this policy?
I can't speak for the senator, but we're doing our job in the House. We shall have to wait and see.