WASHINGTON, May 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. military discharged 726 service members under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" homosexual prohibition in 2005, nearly half of them in the Army.
The total, according to Pentagon figures, is just above the 2004 number of 653, but less than the 2003 discharges, at 787. The 2005 report continues the trend of historically low separations under the law since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Between 1997 and 2001 the military separated more than 1,000 service members a year, according to data collected by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a homosexual rights organization.
The decline could be the result of any number of factors. Ten years after Congress passed the law prohibiting homosexuals from acting on or talking about their sexual orientation, fewer gays may be joining the military.
Stressed by two wars and multiple deployments -- as well as difficulty recruiting -- the military may be opting not to pursue cases.
Given the wars, homosexual service members may not be coming forward so they can remain in the fight.
The Army in 2005 separated 386 members. The Marine Corps, which is about a third of the size of the active duty Army, separated 75. The Navy separated 177 and the Air Force 88 service members.
Prior to 1993, the military had an outright ban on homosexuals in the military. President Bill Clinton announced his intention to repeal that ban, but was opposed by many in the military and in Congress. Instead, the Pentagon and Capitol Hill agreed to a law prohibiting openly gay members from serving.
