'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Ain't What It Used to Be

Seventeen years after the question of gays in the military wreaked havoc on Bill Clinton's presidency, the issue is finally being reconsidered by Congress. In his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to outline a proposal for rolling back the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy. It's a pretty safe bet that it will be a complex process involving reviews, committees, and all the trappings that Washington demands. Still, this is the most significant progress we've seen toward allowing gay people to be open about their sexuality while serving in the U.S. armed forces since, well, ever.

What's perhaps most striking about today's testimony is the lack of buzz it is generating. Gates will speak about the subject for only about an hour. Much of his testimony will be devoted to more pressing issues like Afghanistan. The coverage over the past few days indicates that while there's still opposition to the policy, it's a far cry from the debate that rocked, and very nearly entirely derailed, Clinton's first term. Sure, there are vocal opponents of a repeal. The Family Research Council, for example, has put out tough statements and asked its supporters to send letters to Congress pleading members to "not let our military be used to advance a radical sexual agenda."  But most Americans—69 percent, according to a May 2009 Gallup poll—are in favor of repealing DADT. Conservative activists appear more concerned with combating the president's economic policies and health-care proposal than taking to the streets over gay service members.

Energy around the effort is also dampened by the weary cynicism of a gay community that's been disappointed so often in the past few years. The repeal is not a fait accompli, and many proponents won't believe it till it happens. Andrew Sullivan is skeptical.  And it's reasonable to wonder if a drawn-out process will cause the rollback to lose steam, becoming enmeshed in unnecessary bureaucracy along the way. Still, as a culture, we've come a long way since 1993.