SHARE
The repeal of the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy would have far greater consequences than allowing several thousand gay people to serve openly in the U.S. armed forces. In the same way that President Truman’s decision to integrate the armed forces is credited with laying the foundation for many subsequent civil rights advances, the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would shatter persistent myths and stereotypes about gay people in American society.
Recognizing this, the Haas, Jr. Fund is a major supporter of the Palm Center, a research institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara, that produces state-of-the-art research to advance the cause of ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The Palm Center's research has been cited on the floor of Congress and covered by newspapers and radio and television stations throughout the world. Palm Center scholars have delivered briefings and lectures at the British Ministry of Defence, the United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, the Army War College and the National Defense University.
The work of the Palm Center has been cited as instrumental in encouraging the Obama administration to take steps to dismantle “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” “We are very close to seeing this disastrous policy repealed, and the Palm Center has played a crucial role in getting us to where we are today,” said Matt Foreman, Program Director for Rights with the Haas, Jr. Fund.
