1115.org

They haven’t exactly made a big pronouncement. But clearly the military has moved beyond “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

The new incarnation seems to be “Don’t Ask, Don’t Listen”:

The Navy returned an openly gay sailor to active duty last year in what gay rights advocates say is an example of how some military commanders — stretched by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — are turning a blind eye to the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy banning gays and lesbians from revealing their sexual orientation.

Petty Officer Jason D. Knight, a Hebrew linguist who says he had officially informed his superiors that he was homosexual, was discharged in April 2005 after completing his four-year tour of duty, according to a summary of his Navy personnel file.

Nine months later, the Navy recalled him to active duty, even though he was openly gay, and sent him to Kuwait, where he served as a translator and received multiple awards for exemplary service.
[...]
Knight’s case underscores what some military specialists and gay rights groups believe is a growing trend: superiors and comrades ignoring the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy because they care more about a service member’s skills than his or her sexual orientation.

“An increasing number of lesbian and gay troops are being welcomed by their colleagues in the armed forces,” said Sharra E. Greer, director of law and policy for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which represents gay and lesbian military personnel seeking redress for discriminatory policies. “Commanders do not want to lose good people to this law, and service members do not care if the men and women they work alongside happen to be gay.”
[...]
Knight, 24, enlisted in the Navy on April 4, 2001, according to the personnel records provided by the Navy.

In an interview yesterday, Knight said he told the Navy he was gay in early 2005, just a few months before his four-year enlistment was up; the notification came through official paperwork informing the service that he and his wife were divorcing.

Knight said he was told by officials that the Navy would begin the process of discharging him for revealing his sexual orientation, but the process was terminated when Knight reached the end of his service contract. Knight was given a standard honorable discharge, with the rank of petty officer third class, on April 3, 2005.

The Navy has a much more tortured version of events, one that doesn’t exactly fit together too well.

The policy implemented in the case of Jason Knight certainly seems to be “Don’t Ask, Don’t Listen”, but with one caveat: tell if you want, but don’t embarrass us by telling that you told.