Washington, DC - National Stonewall Democrats responded to the Senate Armed Services Commitee's hearing on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, whichbars gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
Statement
from Michael C. Mitchell, Executive Director, National Stonewall Democrats:
“This
afternoon, our nation’s top Defense officials, Secretary of Defense Robert
Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen told the Senate
Armed Services Committee that they believed the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy
barred patriotic Americans from service and should be overturned.
“We
were heartened by the testimony of Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen, as well
as the strong statements in support of repeal by Democratic committee members
and Chairman Carl Levin, but were concerned by the protracted timeline that all
seemed to support. Both Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen pointed out
specific issues of implementation that need to be addressed, and a well planned
implementation is critical. But Congress cannot wait to act on this issue while
good soldiers are thrown out of the military – many in mission critical
positions that are very difficult to replace – simply because of their sexual
orientation. Congress must exercise its capacity for leadership, a quality that
Secretary Gates repeatedly called for today.
“When
the two top Defense officials stand with three-quarters of the American public
in favor of overturning this discriminatory policy, Republican Committee
members like Senators John McCain, Jeff Sessions and Saxby Chambliss are shown
to be woefully out of touch in their defense of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ with
unsubstantiated claims about effectiveness.
“Effective
for whom? Certainly not for the gay men and lesbians who serve their country
bravely in constant fear of discovery and discharge. Certainly not for the gay
men and lesbians who risk, and in some cases give, their lives for this country.
And certainly not for our taxpayers, who have wasted hundreds of millions of
dollars implementing a discriminatory policy over the past sixteen years.
“Our
service members are smart and committed, and we should not insult them by
assuming an inability to adjust to change. We call on the leaders of our
military to develop an implementation plan for repeal with all due haste, and
for Congress to pass a repeal bill without delay.
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Media
Contact:
Jenna Lowenstein
973-769-4538
jlowenstein@stonewalldemocrats.org
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