Twelve gay and lesbian veterans who were dismissed under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to reinstate their lawsuit challenging the policy.In arguments before the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, they compared the policy to government-sanctioned discrimination against blacks.
"Systematically in the military today, gays are being harassed, hounded, harmed," former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II told the court. "This is segregation all over again."
Gregory Katsas, a lawyer for the government, said the policy is a way to protect military unit cohesion and reduce sexual tension.
The three-judge panel did not immediately rule.
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