The Conservative Approach To DADT

by Chris Bodenner
In reaction to Columbia Univ. voting in a referendum last week to keep ROTC off campus, gay undergrad Learned Foote writes an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal:

A Columbia education provides a nuanced view of our complex global society. As an elite institution, we could help bring balance to our military, which is underrepresented both in the Northeast and among the wealthy. ... University President Lee Bollinger stated that to invite ROTC back to campus would violate the university's nondiscrimination policy.

I found myself torn between two sets of values. I wanted to fight discrimination, but I also wanted Columbia to restore its relationship with a fundamental American institution. My conversations with gay veterans helped resolve these differences. They too believe that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is discriminatory. But rather than boycott the military until matters improved, they decided to prove that they too could serve their nation.