The end of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'?

Since it was passed in 1993, the Clinton administration's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy has prevented open members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from serving in the military due to claims of persecution and forced resignations.

Fortunately for those the policy affects, times may change with the new presidential administration - a change many in the LGBT community would welcome on campus.

Since the policy was passed, that community has been vocally opposed to the presence of Reserve Officer Training Corps and military recruitment on campus because they allege the military is a discriminatory organization.

And while President Barack Obama has expressed support for military recruiters and ROTC on university campuses, he has also expressed support for the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Scott Calvert, executive officer of Penn's Naval ROTC, explained that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was intended to encourage LGBT members to join the military, even if they don't openly declare their sexuality.

"It's a tool that allows homosexual people to serve," he said, "but it oftentimes gets framed like it's a tool to punish people."

Bob Schoenberg, director of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center, disagreed.

Military recruiters and ROTC retain their position on Penn's campus despite the school's nondiscrimination policy that should prohibit their presence until they accept all members of the community equally, Schoenberg said.

He referenced a recent statement by Penn President Amy Gutmann in which she said Penn will continue to violate its own nondiscrimination policy by retaining a military presence on campus until "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is repealed.

Schoenberg said he objects to the military presence solely because of its discriminatory implications.

"If Obama succeeds in changing the department of defense's policy, then there's no essential problem," he said.

Lambda Alliance chairman and College junior Dennie Zastrow said he hopes for the best from the new administration. "I definitely think there will be a big shift in power," he said.

He also emphasized the importance of retaining ROTC programs on academically-elite university campuses, explaining that the programs can provide a more liberal education than officers would receive if solely educated by the military.

Calvert, Schoenberg and Zastrow agree, however, that the military may have fewer problems liberalizing than people expect if the legislation changes.

Schoenberg pointed out the similarities of this situation to when the military integrated on the basis of race.

When race-based discrimination became illegal, many other institutions had problems adjusting to new "color blind" policies, he said. As a result, the military was a good place for people of color to start their careers.

Schoenberg said he believes that once nondiscrimination against LGBT people is legalized, the military may easily integrate new members once again.

"Most of our students probably don't particularly care one way or the other," Calvert said. "They've chosen to serve personally and aren't looking to exclude anybody else from making that same choice."