Political Quotes

“I rise to address a glaring inequality in the law--one that leaves our servicemembers with fewer protections from discrimination than civilians. On June 15, the Supreme Court issued a momentous decision--welcomed by Members of both parties--extending civil rights employment protections to LGBTQ individuals in workplaces across America. That decision, however, does not apply to servicemembers. That means our servicemembers, who often come from communities that have for generations bravely sacrificed for the United States, currently enjoy fewer statutory protections than their civilian counterparts. Think about what that says about our country: The law treats the people willing to risk their lives to defend our freedoms as second class citizens. It is unconscionable, and it is un-American. In this moment of reckoning on civil rights, we must ensure those rights extend to all of our military servicemembers. The push for the desegregation of our troops, for gender integration into combat, and for the repeal of don't ask, don't tell were all met with similar arguments about how increased opportunity for the group in question would hamper readiness, unit cohesion, or otherwise weaken the military. Those arguments have been proven wrong every single time. It is, in fact, the lack of protections for these groups that hamper readiness. Without protections, an able platoon sergeant can be stigmatized and driven from the military because he is transgender.…”