Utah congressional candidate Mia Love would reinstate DADT

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Republican Utah Congressional District 4 candidate Mia Love said she supports reinstating the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in a debate with Democratic challenger Jim Matheson. The policy was in effect 1993 to 2011, banning gay men and women from serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“I’m going to trust the boots on the ground to tell us what the best practices are to make sure we keep Americans, our military safe,” she said. “‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ has worked in the past, and if that’s what our military engineers say works, then I am absolutely for it.”

However, what Love apparently did not know is that a recent report marking one year since the repeal found no adverse affects from lifting the ban.

“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,” the Palm Center report found.

In fact, the U.S. military has the same level of readiness as it did in 2011 before the repeal and there was no mass exodus of servicemen exiting in protest, the report found.

Love said she supports DADT because it still allows gay men and women to serve, if they really want to, and she supports keeping “sexual orientation out of it.”

Matheson, who is the current representative from District 2, voted to repeal the measure and said he supports an open policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly.

“I think it’s the right thing to do. Anyone who wants to put their life on the line for this country I think they should not suffer from any discrimination for doing so,” he said.

Both candidates said they oppose marriage equality.