Private: Congressman Says Effort to Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Coming Next Year

Rep. Barney Frank, tells Advocate.com that repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," (DADT) policy, which bars lesbians and gay men from serving openly in the military, will be housed within next year's defense reauthorization bill. The Progress Report notes that interview here. "Military issues are always done as part of the overall authorization bill," Frank told Advocate.com. Frank also said that the Obama administration "is totally committed to this and has been from the beginning."

During a recent ACS event on the policy, which was created during the Clinton administration, Lawrence Korb, Nathaniel Frank, Aubrey Sarvis and Eric Alva discussed various methods for repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, talked about the legislative and executive branch efforts to repeal DADT, saying that the president "has said repeatedly that he supports repeal." But Sarvis, said it has yet to be determined what role the president will play in the legislative push to repeal DADT. Video of the panel discussion is available here. Also following the event, Frank, senior research fellow at the Palm Center, talked with ACSblog about the creation of DADT.

LGBTQ Equality