Add It Up: Don’t ask, don’t tell
More than 16 years later, a questionable policy remains
Number of years since “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was adopted as federal policy: 16
Number of servicemembers discharged from the U.S. armed services since 1993 because because they were gay: 12,342
Number of times, including a June 8 U.S. Supreme Court decision, that federal courts have upheld the policy: 6
Percentage of Americans in favor of allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces, according to a July 2008 poll: 75
Percentage of Republicans in favor of the policy’s repeal, according to the same poll: 64
Number of years ago a U.S. Navy committee determined gays in the military don’t pose a security risk: 52
Total number of countries that allow openly gay servicemembers: 26
Number of original NATO countries, including the United States, that still ban gay servicemembers: __2
Number of Georgia congressmen who are co-sponsors of the policy’s repeal: 2
Sources: AJC, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
This post has been altered to correct a typo in the number of NATO countries that still ban openly gay servicemembers.__