Candidates Positions on Homosexuals in the Military

Human Events has an in-depth piece by Elaine Donnelly on the current state of homosexuals in the military and the candidate's positions on this issue.

The article points out that candidates' answers on this topic can be confusing, since there are essentially three different measures that govern homosexuals in the military, and the one under which the military operates on a day-to-day basis conflicts with the other two, and the other two carry more authority.

On the one hand we have the law that Congress passed with bipartisan veto-proof majorities, “Section 654, Title 10,” which could have been named the “Military Personnel Eligibility Act of 1993.” The statute, which stands apart from the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), codified pre-Clinton Defense Department regulations stating that “homosexuality is incompatible with military service.” The courts have declared it constitutional several times.

But while Section 654, Title 10 and the UCMJ prohibition on homosexuality have not been repealed or revoked, President Bill Clinton implemented a policy called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" which forced the military to not pursue investigations and discharge proceedings ("Don't ask") as long as the homosexual military member doesn't admit their homosexuality openly ("Don't Tell").

Since one could say "I support the current situation" with regard to homosexuals in the military, and still be interpreted as supporting either side of the issue ("Don't Ask, Don't Tell" still allows homosexuals to serve in the military, while Section 654 and the UCMJ still prohibit it), for the purposes of summarizing the candidate's position, I will try to define "yes" as being in favor of homosexuals serving in the military and "no" as not being in favor of homosexuals serving in the military.

From the Human Events piece, here are the candidates' positions:

Hillary Clinton: yes
Joseph Biden: yes
Dennis Kucinich: yes
Bill Richardson: yes
Rudy Giuliani: yes
Mitt Romney: uncertain
John McCain: yes ("Don't Ask, Don't Tell")
Fred Thompson: uncertain, probably yes
Duncan Hunter: no
Ron Paul: yes ("Don't Ask, Don't Tell")
Tom Tancredo: uncertain

Should we dump "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?" Absolutely! It was a morally convoluted, inconsistent and contradictory measure which not only undermined the moral fiber of the U.S. military, but created unnecessary confusion in the force entrusted with defending this nation.

We should go back to Section 654, Title 10 and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

HT to Free Republic.