Culver: ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is not a state issue

A leading figure in the effort to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” called on Gov. Chet Culver last week to speak out on the need for the policy’s repeal, but the governor says the issue is beyond his scope of responsibilities and better left in the hands of federal officials.

Gov. Chet Culver

In the state of Iowa, gay citizens’ rights are protected under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, which “prohibits discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education.”

However, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy — which bars those that are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual from military service — trumps these state laws and strips gay citizen soldiers serving in the Iowa National Guard and Reserves of these protections and constitutional rights.

Last week at the 5^th Annual Governor’s Conference on LGBT Youth at Drake University in Des Moines, the keynote speaker Lt. Dan Choi put a face on this “catch-22” for gay citizen soldiers. Choi, a West Point graduate, Iraq war veteran and Arabic translator, was eventually discharged from his National Guard unit in New York, a state that also enacted a law protecting its gay citizens against discrimination, when he said “I am gay” on an episode of “The Rachel Maddow Show” that aired last March.

In an exclusive interview with The Iowa Independent, Choi said one person who could contribute to the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is Culver.

“If Gov. Culver, Iowa’s commander-in-chief, were here today, I would ask that he join my brothers in arms and call upon the federal government to repeal DADT,” he said, adding: “Gov. Culver is the highest ranking military official in Iowa, so it would be great to see him make some sort of public declaration to show he supports the repeal of DADT.”

Culver can’t formally change the policy, Choi said, but seeing the governor speak out would “mean a lot to the gay Iowa soldiers already serving and those who have been discharged, knowing that their leader supports and stands up for them.”

“In fact, I would call on all commanders-in-chief across the country to stand up for their troops, who have been shouldering a significant portion of the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “I would be honored to have Gov. Culver serving with me in my foxhole.”

In response to Lt. Choi’s call-to-arms, Culver would not make a public declaration calling for the repeal of DADT.

“The governor thanks Lt. Dan Choi for his service and appreciates the president’s leadership on this issue,” said Erin Seidler, Culver’s communication director. “However, this is an issue on the federal level, and the governor is confident that Congress and the president will develop a fair policy that allows Americans who want to serve their country the ability to serve.”

When asked to clarify if the governor, as commander-in-chief of the Iowa National Guard, felt personally that the policy should be changed, Seidler passed.

“Like we said, this is a federal issue and the governor will look to the president and Congress to determine the changes to the policy.”

A recent CBS News/New York Times poll found that the majority of those polled favored gay men and lesbians serving in the military.