Last night, military servicemen spoke at the University as part of the Call to Duty Tour, a national program aimed at raising awareness about the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
Specifically, the speakers discussed how the policy has directly affected their experiences in the military, and how they hope to bring about changes in the legislation.
According to Sharon Alexander, an attorney with Service Members Legal Defense Network, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy marks improvement in the treatment of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the military, but leaves much to be desired.
"'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is an advance over its predecessor regulations," Alexander said. "The major improvement it gave was acknowledgement that homosexual orientation in and of itself does not bar military service."
However, the policy's presence as a statute makes it especially difficult to change, Alexander said. While previous bans were regulations and could be overturned by an executive order, changing a statute is much more complicated, she added.
"Congress needs to repeal the statute and pass a new one, or a court needs to find [the statute] to be unconstitutional," she said.
As the servicemen discussed the ways in which the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy has personally affected their lives and experiences in the military, most agreed that their fellow soldiers were supportive once they were honest about their sexual orientations.
Jarrod Chlapowski, a former Korean linguist in the Army, said despite people's personal opinions concerning sexual orientation and military service, gay service in the military exists to a great extent.
"Sixty-five thousand gays, lesbians and bisexuals are serving today, and you see less than two percent of [these people] discharged every year," he said.
Furthermore, according to Chlapowski, such servicemen are open about their sexuality.
"Gays, lesbians and bisexuals are serving openly in the military," Chlapowski said. "It is a fact, and you don't see any loss in morale or unit cohesion."
According to tour founder Alexander Nicholson, who served as a human intelligence collector in the Army, the speakers hope to use the college speaking engagements as "a vehicle for getting the issue out into the media." By speaking at both liberal and conservative schools, Nicholson hopes to draw media attention that will bring about more discussion and debate concerning the policy.
Julianne Koch, co-president of the University's Queer and Allied Activism organization, said she hopes these personal stories offered students a unique perspective.
"I hope people will be able to take these personal stories and better form their own belief about the issue," Koch said. "We forget how these issues actually affect the people behind the scenes, the way they really impact the people and policies."
Joy Pugh, program director of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center at the University, echoed this sentiment.
"I think just the subject matter of this program is really relevant to today's time," Pugh said. "I would hope students take away a broader awareness of the political issue going on."
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