christian grantham
Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD.
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February 12, 2005

Isn't it ironic that the United States Armed Services embrace Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) during peacetime, when presumably the threat of homosexuality to unit cohesion matters the least, and reject DADT in wartime, when the supposed threat of homosexuality to unit cohesion matters the most?

The number of gay and lesbian soldiers discharged under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy has dropped by almost half since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and are at the lowest levels since the Department of Defense began keeping such figures in 1997.

Significant declines have occurred in every branch of the armed forces, according to the statistics released Friday by the Defense Department. The Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy discharged fewer gay and lesbian soldiers in 2004 than in any year since the Pentagon began tallying the number of its "homosexual separations" eight years ago. The Army's discharges represented the lowest number of discharges in five years.
[Statistics show a near 50% drop in military discharges of homosexuals - Detriot News - 02-12-05]

Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, like many of his stumped military colleagues, is having a difficult time explaining why discharges under DADT continue their steep decline since September 11, 2001.

"Obviously, it's a very controversial issue," said Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the personnel office in the Army, which, in relation to the total size of each of the services, had the highest proportion of gays departing last year. "I just got the figures and I don't know why" they fell.
[Statistics show a near 50% drop in military discharges of homosexuals - Detriot News - 02-12-05]

It must be hard admitting that the argument of "unit cohesion" as a reason to exclude gays and lesbians from serving completely breaks down in wartime. I bet it's not as hard as admitting that sexual orientation is the last thing on the minds of professional soldiers on the front lines of war.