For the first time since 1993, we have a real chance to end the shameful anti-gay policy called Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. The President and Democrats in Congress promised the American people that they would repeal "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" before the end of the year — this is their last chance to deliver on that promise before Republicans officially take control of the House of Representatives just over a month from now.
Earlier this year we seemed to be making progress. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen testified before Congress in support of repealing the ban. Then in September, after repeal passed in the House of Representatives, Republicans in the Senate killed it. They saw this as a chance to play politics with the civil rights of American men and women just before the midterm election. It was disgusting.
This is not a tough one. In poll after poll — two more released just last week — a clear majority of Americans have said they think Don’t Ask Don’t Tell should be repealed. More than 70 percent of active duty and reserve troops have said that the effect of repealing the policy would be "positive, mixed or nonexistent".
The American people know repealing the ban is the right thing to do because requiring someone to lie about who they are, in order to serve their country goes against our values. As General Mullen said during his testimony before Congress, "allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is the right thing to do. It is a matter of integrity."
This is one of the most important civil rights issues of our time. To get this done, Democrats must stand up to Republicans in Congress and fight for the rights of America’s gay service members. It’s time to declare once and for all that they will no longer be treated as second-class citizens. It’s time to allow all Americans to serve the country they love, regardless of who they love.
When Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva stepped on the landmine outside of Basra that broke his arm and resulted in the amputation of his leg, he became the first person wounded in President George W Bush’s Iraq war. Sgt. Alva is also gay.
Now, if someone is brave enough to take a bullet for the United States of America, then they ought not have to lie about who they are. They deserve the right to serve openly.
Please join me in calling on the Senate to repeal "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" before the year of 2010.
Senator Carl Levin — Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee — is set to start hearings on "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" first thing in December. Join us today and we’ll deliver each and every one of your signatures to that committee hearing to let Democrats know where the American people stand and now’s the time to act..
Thank you, when we work together, we’re unstoppable.
-Howard
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
Founder, Democracy for America
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