Gay Democratic
congressman Barney Frank, set to lead the House Financial
Services Committee when the Democrats take back Congress in
January, said along with a plan to increase the
minimum wage he intends to push for a modification
of the military's antigay ''don't ask, don't tell''
policy. The current policy prohibits officials from
inquiring about the sex lives of service members and
requires discharges of those who acknowledge being
gay.
''One of things I
do want to address, yes, is discrimination based on
sexual orientation,'' Frank said on Fox News Sunday. ''In
fact, what we have is a shortfall in the military. I
think when you have people being fired who can read
Arabic and understand Arabic, because of what they do
when they're off duty, that that's a grave error. But that's
not what we're going to begin with.''
A report in 2005
by the investigative arm of Congress estimated it cost
the Pentagon around $200 million to recruit and train
replacements for the nearly 9,500 troops that had to
leave the military because of the ban on openly gay
personnel. The losses included hundreds of highly skilled
troops, including translators, from 1994 to 2003. (AP)
