On the recordDecember 15, 2010
I rise as a cosponsor and strong supporter of H.R. 2965, the Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. I want to thank Representative Patrick Murphy (D-PA) for his unrelenting advocacy for repealing this discriminatory law and Majority Leader Hoyer for his leadership on this issue. The time is long overdue for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT), the current law that says a member of the Armed Forces--one that would give his or her life defending our country--may not reveal his or her sexual orientation nor may the military ask about it. Just as today's Americans shake their heads at the thought of a segregated military--and indeed society--I suspect that generations to come will do the same at the shift we made in 1994 from the outright to tacit discrimination of homosexuals in the military. Indeed, if military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, recruiting, and retention are among the factors the military considers important to the overall success of our Armed Forces, one can hardly argue that DADT, which has brought about over 14,000 servicemember discharges, was and is the right course of action.
