Rep. Takano Condemns DOD Nominee Pete Hegseth’s Attacks on LGBTQ+ Servicemembers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Mark Takano, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color elected to Congress, released the following statement following a CNN report on comments from President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, regarding LGBTQ+ servicemembers and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT):
“Attacking policies that allow LGBTQ+ servicemembers to serve in uniform openly is a disgrace,” said Rep. Takano. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was a horrific policy which forced honorable LGBTQ+ servicemembers out of the military, caused thousands of veterans to lose out on VA benefits, and still impacts those individuals and their families today. Mr. Hegseth must renounce this stance if he seeks to lead our nation’s servicemembers.”
Background:
- Congressman Takano is the primary sponsor of legislation to create a commission to investigate the historic and persistent harms of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to servicemembers and veterans.
- CNN reports that in his 2024 book “The War on Warriors” and in subsequent media promotions this year, Hegseth described both the original DADT policy and its repeal in 2011 as a “gateway” and a “camouflage” for broader cultural changes that he claims have undermined military cohesion and effectiveness.
- In a 2015 appearance on Fox News, Hegseth also argued the policies like repealing DADT “erode standards” in favor of political goals like social engineering. This is not true, as “the repeal of DADT has had no overall negative impact on military readiness or its component dimensions, including cohesion, recruitment, retention, assaults, harassment or morale,” according to independent research.
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