21 Sep 2010

Lady Gaga speaks out for gay servicemen

Lady Gaga’s attempt to overturn the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy on homosexuality in US military failed on Tuesday after supporters failed to muster the 60 Senate votes needed to force the change.

Two Democrat senators joined the Republicans in opposing the move, leaving just 56 votes in favour of the debate, sponsored by the Senate Democratic Majority Leader, Harry Reid.

The Defense Department authorisation bill normally passes with support from both sides and in turn the funds necessary are granted to the department.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell”
This year, however, an amendment to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” was attached. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT), is the name of the policy introduced by President Bill Clinton in 1993 as a compromise to the previous military ban on homosexuals.

Under the provision gay, lesbian and bisexual military personnel can serve, but only if closeted. According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, some 14,000 servicemen and women have been discharged under DADT since 1993, with 400 of those happening during President Obama’s tenure.

Despite President Obama signalling his intent to abolish the provision during his election campaign and launching a review in March, it has only garnered mainstream attention in recent weeks. That is in large part due to the help of a musical icon and her “little monsters”, as Lady Gaga’s fans are known.

Lady Gaga sends a message to the Senate on the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.

“The prime rib of America”
The multi-award winning New Yorker has become the unofficial face of the campaign to repeal DADT in recent weeks and months. Last week she aired a video on YouTube lobbying her state senators to vote to repeal the act. Earlier this month she wore a dress made entirely of meat at the MTV music awards to raise the issue of DADT.

And on Monday she spoke at a rally in Maine designed to urge the two Republican state senators there to vote with the Democrats and moderate Republicans on the issue.

The 24-year old musician continued on the theme last night calling her speech “the prime rib of America”.

“Equality is the prime rib of America,” she said. “I’m here because ‘don’t ask, don’t tell is wrong. It is unjust and fundamentally, it is against all that we stand for as Americans.

“We’re penalising the wrong soldier. Doesn’t it seem to you that we should send home the prejudice – the straight soldier who hates the gay soldier. The straight soldiers whose performance in the military is affected because he is homophobic. The straight soldier who has prejudice in his heart. In the space where the military asks him to hold our core American values, he instead holds and harbours hate. And he gets to stay and fight for our country.”

The House of Representatives has already voted to change the law and supporters of the move were hoping to push through a vote in the Senate before November’s mid-term elections, which are expected to result in gains for the Republicans, making it harder to achieve the necessary support.