WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- The number of gay and lesbian service members discharged under the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy has dropped nearly by half.
The total number of service members discharged under the policy decreased from a high of 1,227 in 2001 to 653 last year, according to statistics releasedby the Pentagon.
"Obviously, it's a very controversial issue," said Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for Army's personnel office. "I just got the figures and I don't know why" they fell.
Gay rights groups said that since Sept. 11, 2001, the military needs to maintain its troop strength and, therefore, is not discharging gay and lesbian service members as it once did, the Washington Post reported Saturday.
Traditionally there's been a decline in the discharges of gays during war and then a spike in discharges right after, according to Sharon Alexander, a lawyer for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an advocacy group for gay men and lesbians in the military.
Groups advocating for abolishment of "don't ask, don't tell" told the Post the figures underscore the hypocrisy of the military's position that homosexuals are bad for moral since gay men and lesbians are less likely to be discharged in times of war, when troops are needed most.
