Gays In Military Not First On Obama's List

Pink News is reporting that given the state of the nation, the ban on gays in the militar will likely not be a priority for the new administration:

A group that campaigns to repeal a ban on openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people serving in the US Armed Forces has said it does not expect the new Obama administration to deal with the issue as soon as it takes power.

. . . Given that 75% of the American public have said they want the repeal of the ban on gays in the military, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," it would seem an obvious choice for early attention from the new administration.

However, a spokesperson for the Servicemembers Legal Defence Network, a group that campaigns for an end to the ban, told Metro Weekly:

"There is a very full agenda for President-elect Obama, and we know we will not be first in line.

More after the jump.

"To be successful in eliminating the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, we need a partnership between the White House, Congress and our military leaders.

. . . In an interview with Gay History Project in September, Senator Obama said he would not use the office of President to abolish [Don't Ask, Don't Tell].

"I want to make sure that when we revert "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," it's gone through a process and we've built a consensus or at least a clarity of that, of what my expectations are, so that it works," he said.

"My first obligation as the President is to make sure that I keep the American people safe and that our military is functioning effectively.

"Although I have consistently said I would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," I believe that the way to do it is make sure that we are working through a process, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be.

"That's how we were able to integrate the Armed Services to get women more actively involved.

"At some point, [you've] got to make a decision that that's the right thing to do, but you always want to make sure that you are doing it in a way that maintains our core mission in our military."