Just three days remain to move the 111th Congress to vote for repealing the military's ban on gay servicemembers. This diary contains a large list of action items that can be performed to communicate your support for putting an end to this odious law, once and for all.
The LGBT community needs allies in this fight. We need those who support our equality to rise up with their voices in the next few days and tell Congress, "Now is the time." We need you also to help convince the administration to stop blocking Congress' efforts and endorse attaching this to the military's Defense Authorization bill being marked up in the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. Failure to attach, in all likelihood would kill all hope for repeal for at least a year.
Please support this effort by reccing this diary and joining the LGBT community in saying to Congress, to the Department of Defense: "The time is now."
With news breaking that dealmaking may be in progress, this is the time to strike, not back off. The compromise threatens to water down LGBT Americans' claim to equality. But the fact that the Pentagon is talking indicates they are feeling pressure to make a deal, lest one be thrust upon them. Now is the time to send a message to Congress, stand firm, call for equality, call for the time to be now.
Below, a lesbian and survivor of the USS Cole attack pens a letter to the Commander-in-Chief reminding us why we're waging this battle:
Today's Letter: "Mr. President, help Congress repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” now. We cannot afford any delay."
May 24, 2010
President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
October 12, 2000. It was the day the USS COLE was attacked -- a suicide bomber struck while the ship was harbored and refueling in a Yemeni port. Seventeen American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured.
In the hours that followed – onboard the USS SHILOH also docked in an overseas port – we were put on alert. My Captain chose me to serve as the Officer of the Deck. We were ordered to put to sea immediately and I was to coordinate the underway.
Similarly – on September 11, 2001 – our ship was immediately ordered to sea. We fully expected that we were going to war. We ended up being assigned to protect the west coast from any potential attack.
During these emergencies, I was an open lesbian serving my country.
In a state of alert, no one cared a bit about my sexual orientation, even though they knew about it. The sailors who worked for me looked to me for leadership, and the officers I worked for looked to me for performance.
Years before, when studying at the Naval Academy, my peers and I learned about honor and integrity. The Academy places a special emphasis on these values. On the very first day, they give you uniforms, shoe polish and Brasso, and begin teaching you about the Academy’s Honor Concept. The Honor Concept starts out, “Midshipmen are persons of integrity: they do not lie, cheat, or steal.”
When I graduated from the Naval Academy, I became a Surface Warfare Officer and received orders to the cruiser USS SHILOH. I was excited to serve on a combatant ship.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) made it difficult to have normal conversations with my shipmates. If I said I had a dog, someone might ask, “Who takes care of him when you’re at sea?” Answering the simplest questions can get you kicked out. The crew of my ship was my extended family. Keeping parts of my life secret and separate from them is an unnecessary burden, and no American sailor or soldier should be forced to bear it.
Feeling deeply conflicted between the requirements of DADT and the Navy’s Core Values, I wrote my Captain and told him I was a lesbian. I was being forced to lie on a daily basis by DADT. I did not want to get out of the Navy, and I said so in my letter. I wanted to stay and serve honorably, and to maintain my integrity by not lying about who I was.
After I wrote the letter, I continued to do my job on the ship to the best of my ability. We went on a six-month deployment to the Middle East. I qualified as Officer of the Deck, and was chosen to be the Officer of the Deck during General Quarters -- a great honor.
I also earned my Surface Warfare Officer pin. During my pinning ceremony, the Captain removed his own pin -- off the chest of his uniform -- and pinned it on mine. That was one of my proudest moments.
Later, the Captain personally chose me to represent the ship in a ship-handling competition. I was the only officer chosen to compete, and my orientation was known to my shipmates. My discharge investigation was well underway. Not one person griped because I was the one chosen. I showed the Admiral my ship-driving skills, and won the competition.
My Captain wrote in my Fitness Report in 2002 that my “sexual orientation has not disrupted good order and discipline onboard USS SHILOH.”
Both of my Captains testified at my DADT discharge hearing to say they were opposed to the Navy kicking me out.
If not for DADT, I would still be serving today.
Mr. President, help Congress repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” now. We cannot afford any delay.
With respect,
Former Lieutenant Junior Grade Jenny Kopfstein
United States Navy
To raise awareness to the need for Presidential leadership, DADT repeal activists have launched “Stories from the Frontlines:Letters to President Barack Obama.”The new media campaign launched in partnership with Servicemember's Legal Defense Network,is intended to underscore the urgent need for congressional action and presidential leadership at this critical point in the fight to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT).
Participating blogs: 365 Gay, The Advocate, AfterElton, AmericaBlog , Ameriqueer, AKAWilliam, The Bilerico Project, BoxTurtleBulletin, BrandFabulousness, The Daily Kos, David In Manhattan, David Mixner, Fired Up Missouri, GoodAsYou, HRCBackStory, Kenneth In The 212, Lez Get Real, LGBTPOV, Michael in Norfolk, Mike Gets Real, Mile High Gay Guy, Open Left, Page One Q, Pam's House Blend, RepealNow, SayenCroWolf, Seattle PI Stepforward, Signorile's The Gist, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Queer Times, Towleroad, We Give A Damn.
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• State by State Daily Kos Effort to Shore Up the Votes!
JPMassar, who has been my unsung ally in these efforts providing valuable information and support, has updated his 11 Crucial Senators for repeal diary. In particular, we need the help of Hoosiers, West Virginians, Virginians, First Staters, Bay Staters, Cornhuskers and South Carolinians, so please check it out. Please make the calls, and leave a comment telling us what the staff is saying. Slight changes in the tone and talking points can indicate much about where a Senator stands. Yesterday I noted with a little humor that Bill Nelson is now claiming he's always been a strong supporter of repeal in 2010. Which is news to many who've followed the story closely. This diary contains all relevant contact information.
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CALL TO ACTION! (Pick one or all.)
Fate of repeal will be decided in the month of May. As time grows short, repeal advocates have multiple strategies are in place. One thing they all share is a need to hear from the public the time is now. Now is the time for LGBT allies to get off the fence and call for equality for their fellow Americans.
New Call to Action: Howard Dean and Democracy for America have joined the effort to End Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2010. Sign the petition here. The Courage Campaign's goal was 100,000 signatures by Monday, they are now at 70,000. Let's help them over-achieve.
• Contact the White House: The Servicemember's Legal Defnese Network has put out an action item: Not Another Year. They are asking people to call the White House and tell our Commander in Chief to call for repeal in 2010, repeal can't wait until 2011. The moment is now. They say: "Our Congressional allies are not giving up. SLDN isn't giving up. Tell President Obama not to give up either. Call the White House today. (202) 456-1414"
• Contact your Senators: Tell them to support adding repeal to the Senate Defense Spending Budget: these Senators are most key: Bill Nelson, Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, Jim Webb, Robert Byrd and Scott Brown. But call them all. Show them there's a grassroots movement to vote now. SLDN contact tool here.
• Contact your House Representatives: Tell them to support Representative Patrick Murphy's plan to offer DADT repeal legislation as a floor amendment to the military bill. SLDN contact tool here.
• Contact Nancy Pelosi: Tell her to use her authority as Speaker of the House to bring DADT repeal up for a vote in the House. (202) 225-0100
• Contact Senate Armed Services Committee Chairmain Carl Levin (D-MI) and tell him Military Budget Attachment is the way to go. His office in Washington can be reached at: (202) 224-6221
• Become a citizen co-sponsor of repeal at Senator Udall's site.
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Talking point tip: Sens Brown, Webb and others are saying they are deferring to President Obama's Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' recommendation not to act before the Pentagon study is due Dec 1. Here is a possible response:
"I understand the need not to rush the process. But I also understand the current legislation, as proposed, already includes a 180-day delayed implementation from the time of final passage expected in October. So even if approved in committee this month, changes in actual policy would not go into effect until April 2011 or later.
I'd also remind the Senator that Congress doesn't have to take direction from the Executive Branch, it is an indepedent body, elected to express the will of the people, and we expect Congress to lead, not follow, the Pentagon on this issue. Thank you."