Nodler: Keeping Don't Ask, Don't Tell

In 1993, then-President Bill Clinton made efforts to lift the military’s ban on homosexuals serving in the military. His efforts did not receive a positive reaction from the public or from Congress, and the result was the policy that came to be known as “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” which prevents homosexuals in the military from openly serving.

Recently, there has been discussion on the federal level about repealing this policy. This week, the discussion moved to the state level, when two resolutions were presented to the Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee, of which I am vice-chairman. I am against changing the current policy on homosexuals in the military, and I think it is important for Missouri to send a message to Congress that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is an effective policy.

A concurrent resolution expresses the opinion of the Missouri General Assembly and urges action from Congress. Senate Concurrent Resolution 45 would encourage Congress to support the current policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, while an alternative resolution, SCR 44, asks Congress to repeal the policy. As a former member of the military, I am supportive of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I think that repealing the policy would be detrimental to our military.


Morale is one of the most important concerns for military commanders, especially in a time of combat. The military is currently involved in two major conflicts, and I cannot support any policy that could negatively affect our troops during this critical time. During the Senate hearing on these resolutions, we heard from Sgt. Paul Curtman, who recently retired from the Marines. During his testimony, he stated he was against repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell because allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would disrupt combat readiness. He described the experience of finding out that a fellow Marine was a homosexual as disruptive to his unit and detrimental to the missions that they were trying to complete.


When the president discussed the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, many people throughout the country began discussing and debating the policy. The most important issue, however, is the safety and readiness of those serving in our military. I feel strongly that changing this policy would be disruptive to our military, and I will support the passage of SCR 45 so that we can make this view clear to Congress.