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And the Oscar Goes to…

The 80th Annual Oscar telecast may have been a bit of a snooze for some, but for eagle eyed observers there was a moment of high irony when it came to the presentation of the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. The award, presented via satellite link by a group of American service members in Iraq, went to the filmmakers behind Freeheld, a short film about New Jersey police lieutenant Laurel Hester's, who after being diagnosed with cancer, successfully fought to win pension survivorship benefits for her partner, Stacie Andree. Laurel Hester's battle to provide for her partner after she passed away is exactly the same battle which Americans are fighting when they call for a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The ban on gays in the military is not just about keeping someone's sexual orientation a secret -- it is about treating Gay Americans as second class citizens, it is about denying their partner health insurance, it is about not allowing them to name their partner as an emergency contact, and it is about denying the children of their partnerships day care and educational opportunities. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" infects every corner of a gay service member's life, forcing them at every turn to ask the question, "If I tell the truth will I loose my job, my benefits, and my career?" This is no way to treat men and women who voluntarily offer to fight and protect our nation. It is no way to recruit the best and brightest into the military, and it is no way to retain well trained troops with mission critical skills and convince them to make a career out of the service. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" fails on all of these fronts and, as a result, puts America's national security interests at stake. We congratulate Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Ross, the filmmakers behind this important film, and offer our sincerest sympathies to Stacie Andree, who lost her partner Laurel to cancer in February of 2006. But the principles which Laurel Hester fought for -- honesty, integrity, and fairness -- are still being denied gay Americans who are defending our country. And the fact that active duty service members awarded this film with an Oscar only punctuates the important need to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." -Victor Maldonado

02-26-08