LGBT leaders on different sides of the fence, from the HRC to GetEqual, are stepping up to help one of our fiercest advocates, Patrick Murphy, get re-elected. Murphy was the author of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act - that would have ended Don't Ask, Don't Tell and put in place a nondiscrimination policy in the military. Ultimately, of course, that bill was passed over for a weaker one, but not before Murphy worked tirelessly for its passage.
LGBT leaders recognize how important it is that he remain in the House:
The Advocate noted:
The mood in Pennsylvania — which gave Obama 54% of its vote in 2008 — is sour after the stimulus package has failed to nudge unemployment down. The state’s jobless rate hovers around 9.2%, on par with the rest of the country. Just one month ago, polls showed Murphy down by 14 points.
Murphy deeply and personally understands the toll that Don't Ask, Don't Tell takes on servicemembers and their friends, families and acquaintances:
Such experiences have helped to move some veterans, including U.S. representative Patrick Murphy, a straight Irish Catholic Blue Dog Democrat from Pennsylvania, to work for DADT’s repeal. Murphy taught constitutional law at West Point, volunteered for overseas deployment after 9/11, served in Bosnia, went to Baghdad as a paratrooper and Judge Advocate General’s Corps attorney with the 82nd Airborne Division, and was awarded the Bronze Star. Along the way, he says, "I saw great officers, great leaders, who had to resign their commission because they wanted to live by Army values, and they feel that it’s inconsistent with those values to live a lie." And he was deeply troubled when he saw talented soldiers being replaced by mediocre ones because of DADT: "My battle buddy in one of the toughest courses in the Army got kicked out because he happened to be gay. And the guy who took his place couldn’t carry his lunch."
I'm admittedly an unenthusiastic person this election cycle. As a gay guy who's watched this horrendous policy continue to be enforced under a Democratic president's watch - and with his help - I've grown tired of advocating for politicians. But even I recognize that Patrick Murphy is a real hero for this country and for LGBT rights specifically, and it would be a shame if he lost this election. He simply can't lose if we are going to expand gay rights in any capacity in the future. Murphy is with us and he's stood alongside us through the worst. It's time for us to have his back now.
Patrick Murphy for Congress
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