Proud Americans Celebrate 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal
Today's repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has the country buzzing with celebratory declarations and events. Below are statements from the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Barbara Boxer and the commander in chief himself, President Barack Obama, all reveling in the long overdue repeal. West Hollywood commemorates today's repeal with a celebration and march tonight.
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Chief Public Affairs Officer Jim Key issued the following statement today at a press conference held in conjunction with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
“In the 18 years since our government told service members that if they came out, they’d be kicked out, more than 13,000 people have been discharged from the military simply because they’re gay or lesbian. Think about that. While we’ve been engaged in multiple wars, the U.S. has rejected the service of thousands of specially trained and qualified people—like those you see here—who are willing to fight and die for our country.But today, thousands of our nation’s service members can finally fight for their country without also having to fight for the right to serve.
Today, thousands of U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen can bravely serve their country without fear they’ll be prosecuted like criminals if their sexual orientation is discovered.
Today, the U.S. sends a message to our service members that we really are the land of the brave and the free. And that day has been a long time coming.
We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Service Members Legal Defense Network, Service Members United, Outserve, Lambda Legal, Log Cabin Republicans and to all the organizations and courageous current and former members of the military who worked so hard for this day. We’re also grateful for the leadership of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, to Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, to the members of Congress who championed the repeal and, of course, to our president.
But our work is not over. Though gay men and lesbians can now serve openly and side-by-side with non-gay service members, they’re still second-class citizens. Married couples in the military enjoy a large number of benefits that are denied to married couples of the same sex. And, of course, transgender people are still prohibited from joining the military. We must continue the fight until we have full equality for all LGBT people.
I was proud to serve in the Marine Corps, but like many, I hid my sexual orientation. Ironically, many of the fellow Marines who commended me for my service were the same people who publicly refused to serve with LGBT people. I listened to them complain that gay guys would be too afraid to pull a trigger because they might break a nail, or that gay guys would show up to formation in drag rather than their uniform. At worst, I feared that if I let my guard down and my secret was exposed, someone might try to hurt me physically. At best, I was convinced I’d be ostracized.
That type of fear and anguish, combined with ignorance about the truth of gay and lesbian service members, is what’s dangerous to unit cohesion. That’s why allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly is good for the military and good for our country.
When more soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are able to be truthful and honest about their sexual orientation, many of those who were against the repeal will be surprised to realize they’ve been serving with lesbians and gay men all along. Coming out remains our number one weapon against homophobia, and, finally, service members who do no longer have to fear they’ll lose their job.”
Barbara Boxer posted on her Facebook page earlier this afternoon, "After 18 years, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has finally come to an end. Ending this discriminatory policy will make our military — and our nation — stronger."
"Today, every American can be proud that we have taken another great step toward keeping our military the finest in the world and toward fulfilling our nation’s founding ideals," said President Obama in a statement today, per his Facebook page.
Additionally, the City of West Hollywood is hosting a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal celebration and march tonight from 6pm to 8pm at West Hollywood Park. Speakers include West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore Jeffrey Prang, Don Davidson of LAMBDA Legal and Tom Carpenter of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
