Gay rights lobbying groups planted flags on the anniversary of the signing of the " Don't Ask Don't Tell" law, with one American flag for each soldier discharged from military service due to their sexuality. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
by Aamer Madhani
Women were disproportionately discharged from the Army, Air Force and Marines in 2007 under the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans gays from openly serving in the U.S. military, according to new data released by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
SLDN, an organization that advocates the reversal of the military's ban on gays serving opening in the military, reports that women accounted for 14 percent of the Army's active duty force while making up 46 percent of don't ask, don't tell discharges. In 2006, women represented 17 percent of the Army and made up 35 percent of such discharges. Women make up 20 percent of the Air Force but accounted for 49 percent of the discharges.
Sixty-eight marines were discharged under the policy in 2007, up from 64 the year before. While women make up six percent of the service, they made up 16 percent of the discharges under the policy last year. A breakdown by gender was not available for 2006.
The Navy discharged 166 sailors, the same number that were separated the previous year. A SLND spokesman said that the Navy did not provide a breakdown by gender of who was discharged from the service under the policy.
The group obtained the Pentagon data through a freedom of information act request.
Overall, the number of men and women discharged under the policy in 2007 was 627 up from 612 the year before, SDLN reports. The number of troops being discharged under don't ask, don't tell has plummeted by about half since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the group.
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Comments
Who's telling? Could it be that female soldiers, unhappy with the war, are taking a lesson from M.A.S.H.'s Corporal Klinger and getting the modern version of a Section 8? Are they "outing" themselves, whether they are lesbian or not, just to get out of their military commitment?
The NY Times policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Report" is alive and well.
Posted by: Metanoia1 | June 23, 2008 4:54 PM
I would think that this may be due to the personality of the people the miltary attracts. More masculine females would tend to be drawn to this line of work, just as effeminate men would shy away from it. Since the ratios seem to be fairly consistent (a multiple of about 2 1/2) this would be consistent with that theory.
Posted by: alchemist | June 23, 2008 7:05 PM
Let us not forget that this policy was instituted by the Democratic Clinton Administration.
Posted by: Ken Moyes | June 24, 2008 11:20 AM