More Arabic Language Speakers Discharged For Homosexuality Than Previously Reported, New Data Show
SANTA BARBARA, CA, – The New Republic (click here for PDF version of the article) reported this morning that between 1998 and 2004, the military discharged 20 Arabic and six Farsi language speakers under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The new figures, which were obtained from the Pentagon by Congressman Marty Meehan and CSSMM, update prior reports from 2002, when the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and the New Republic first reported that Arabic language speakers had been discharged for homosexuality under “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Some previous reports indicated that seven linguists had been fired, while others put the total at nine.
Click here to see the new data. Click here to see an explanation of the data. Click here for media coverage of the story.