The Pentagon said today that it has no
plans to repeal the military gay ban that prohibits open service by
gay and lesbian soldiers.
Pentagon Spokesman Geoff Morrell told
reporters Tuesday that repeal was not being actively pursued.
The ban, known as “don't ask, don't
tell,” prescribes discharge from the military for gay and lesbian
service members who do not remain closeted or celibate.
President Obama pledged to scrap the
1993 policy during the campaign, but has since soft-pedaled on the
issue, saying he is looking for “fundamental reform.”
When CBS National Security
Correspondent David Martin asked Morrell for an update on what the
Pentagon is doing to repeal “don't ask, don't tell,” Morrell
answered: “As far as I know, at this point, David, there has been
no request made by the president to the Congress to repeal 'don't
ask, don't tell'.”
“I don't think there is any sense of
any immediate developments in the offing,” he said.
“I do not believe there are any plans
under way in this building for some expected, but not articulated,
anticipation that 'don't ask, don't tell' will be repealed,”
Morrell added.
Grumbling about the pace of reform has
grown louder as the Obama administration has increasingly distanced
itself from gay and lesbian rights issues, including the more liberal
use of the word “change” by the administration when referring to
the “don't ask, don't tell” law. Previously, officials used the
word “repeal.”