House Panel To Hold First Hearing On "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Wednesday

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on whether to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on Wednesday. It will be the first congressional review of the controversial policy since it was adopted in 1993.

No Pentagon officials are scheduled to appear during the hearing, and the bill repealing the policy is not expected to be passed any time soon. But opponents of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" say they plan to ride on the current change in perceptions about homosexuals in order to repeal the law under a new administration.

"We're fighting two wars and we have an overstretched military. We have too many people that are on their third, fourth and fifth tours in Iraq or Afghanistan," Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) told Fox on Tuesday. "It is a time when we have a president that will sign a legislation and we don't have one now." Tauscher is the main author of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a measure seeking to abolish "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by allowing homosexuals to serve freely in the armed forces. Tauscher supports Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), who has vowed to repeal the law if he becomes president.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a decorated Vietnam War veteran and former POW, supports the Pentagon's position that the law should be kept.

However, Military Personnel Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) also said during a conference call that she "want[s] to start a conversation" that will fuel more debate on the issue, according to Politico.

A Washington Post poll found earlier this month that 75% of Americans favor homosexuals serving in the military, up from 44% in 1993.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is a law prohibiting homosexuals and bisexuals from disclosing their sexual orientation while serving in the military. It was passed by a Democratic Congress under former President Bill Clinton, despite strong opposition from civil rights groups. About 12,000 military personnel have been discharged because of homosexuality since the policy was enacted 15 years ago.