New study reveals no benefits to 'don't ask, don't tell'

Lt. Daniel Choi, an Iraq veteran, was discharged from the military last year. Not because of anything he did in Iraq, but because he publicly admitted he was gay.

But now, a new study concluded that gays in the military do not cause disruption to the unit, suggesting that a disbandment of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy would not interfere with military operations or depress morale.

These findings stand in contrast to the stance of some politicians who argue that allowing gays to serve openly in the military would be detrimental.

The study, "Gays in Foreign Militaries 2010: A Global Primer," was released by the Palm Center, a research group at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It looked at 25 countries that allow openly gay men and women to serve in their militaries, including Great Britain, Canada, Australia and South Africa.

Nathaniel Frank, primary author of the study and adjunct professor at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, worked on the study for more than six months with a group of seven other authors. They drew conclusions from a decade of aggregated data conducted by the Palm Center.

"So what we learned is that the other militaries that did this did it quickly — either an immediate implementation, or they spent, at most, a few months to figure out what training to implement," Frank said. "They did not drag it out and that raises some concerns about the process here."

Robert Voorheis, co-executive director of Marriage Equality New York, said that the report confirmed the stance opponents of the military policy.

"Just because someone is gay does not make it impossible for them, or affect their performance," Voorheis said. "We've always felt that 'don't ask, don't tell' should be overturned."

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said that he would work to eliminate the discriminatory policy. But Voorheis is concerned that the president is not doing enough.

"Unfortunately I don't think Obama is being as forceful as he should be," Voorheis said. "We have all of these troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and we're dismissing those from service who we need. The interpreters and the foot soldiers are being discharged simply because somebody outted them."

Others feel that the study is a step forward, but it will not change people's existing biases towards their stance on the policy.

"I think that people's support for the policy stems from their moral disagreement with homosexuality more than anything else, and this study won't change that for them," said NYU Law student Lisa Nowlin, co-chair of NYU OUTLaw, a student group that represents LGBT law students. "I don't think it will pressure politicians to get rid of the policy, but I do think it adds a bit of momentum to all of the people and organizations that have been exerting pressure for years."

Navy Recruiting Command Public Affairs Officer Jeffrey Nichols said that the military will continue to uphold the policy until a definitive decision is rendered.

"The law requires the Department of Defense to separate from the armed forces members who engage in or attempt to engage in homosexual acts," he said. "If the law changes, so will our policies. We expect all service members to be treated with dignity and respect ... all the time."