Congress to Review 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

July 19, 2008— -- Ahead of a House subcommittee meeting this Wednesday on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows a remarkable turnaround on how people feel about gays in the military. When President Bill Clinton issued this policy in 1993, 44 percent of Americans supported the idea of letting gays serve openly. Today, 75 percent of Americans support it.

Back then, it was essentially a compromise that permitted homosexuals to serve in the military as long as they remained quiet about their sexuality. Clinton called it "a real step forward."

While some legislators at the time didn't think the bill went far enough, it did have support from many of the top commanders in the service. But the debate continues — 15 years later.

After nearly three decades of distinguished military service, Ret. Navy Capt. Joan Darrah may not have been asked, but today she is more than ready to tell.

"I was in the Navy probably eight or nine years before I came to accept the fact that I was gay," Darrah told "Good Morning America." "And at that point, was doing pretty well in my career. So I opted to stay in."

For the last 20 years of her career, Darrah lived two separate lives, she said.

"I had to keep my personal life completely separate from work. I would go to work and if my partner needed to call me, I would ask her to have a [male] co-worker call me rather than have her call me at work."

Capt. Darrah maintained her "two lives" throughout her military career, always fearful that her secret would someday be revealed.

"When the admiral would call me into his office, 99 percent of me would be certain that he wanted to talk about something operational," Darrah said. "[But] there was always a little fear in the back of my mind that somehow I had been outed and that he was calling me in to tell me that I was being fired."

Although Darrah never was fired, many other gay military personnel have been. More than 12,000 gay and lesbian men and women have been dismissed from the armed forces since "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was signed into law, according to a service members advocacy group.

Is It a Flawed Policy?

Nathaniel Frank is a senior research fellow who studies the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for the Palm Center in Santa Barbara, Calif., a think tank that examines military policy with respect to gender and sexual issues.

"It's not been working as it's supposed to because of abuse and lack of enforcement at the command level," Frank said. "And because there's really no such thing as 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' There's ways that people can suspect, guess and know somebody's sexual orientation whether or not they say it, so it was a flawed policy to start with."

Sen. John McCain is willing to have the policy re-examined, but stops short of recommending a full repeal.

"I'll be glad to have it reviewed. But I have to base and add from my recent conversations with military leaders. They don't see any reason to change it," McCain said.

Sen. Barack Obama has said he hopes the policy can be repealed.

The debate rages on. Ret. Navy Capt. Darrah will testify on Wednesday at a House Armed Services subcommittee meeting on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," including its impact on national security. Of the thousands of service men and women discharged under the policy, 800 were classified as having "mission-critical" skills, which includes dozens of Arabic translators, of which the military has an acute shortage.

For veterans such as Darrah, a possible repeal could not come quickly enough.

"I love the military. It was great. I had wonderful opportunities, and it was a wonderfully positive experience," Darrah said. "Living under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' added a tremendous amount of stress for me and other people that lived under it, and are living under it today."

To read the results of the poll, Click Here.