Gabriel Arana says that with DADT ending, we can acknowledge it never protected soldiers. It just promoted prejudice.
Joseph Rocha spent years as an enlisted soldier working to move his way up. He wanted to enroll in the U.S. Naval Academy to be an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He volunteered for difficult assignments and earned certifications in martial arts, combat, and swimming. All the while his fellow soldiers harassed him about his sexual orientation. They pressured him to sleep with prostitutes and, when he would not, asked him if he were a "faggot." His commanding officer openly referred to him as gay and looked the other way as Rocha was made to simulate oral sex on men and beaten on his 19th birthday. After years of relentless taunting, Rocha finally cracked, told his superiors he was gay, and was quickly discharged.
Rocha is just one of the 13,500 armed forces personnel who have been let go under "don't ask, don't tell" since the law was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993. His was one of the many unsettling stories that a federal judge in California highlighted in ruling the policy unconstitutional last week. But the decision may not have to wind its way through the appellate courts before gay service members get their due. Next week, the Senate plans to take up the annual Defense Authorization Bill, which includes an amendment to repeal DADT. The House has already approved a similar bill, and President Barack Obama -- who since taking office has weathered substantial criticism from the gay-rights community for stalling on repeal -- has promised to sign it.
