We Cannot be Silent
We may have won in Congress last year, but that hasn’t stopped some opponents from finding new ways to strike against LGBT service members. This week marks a moment to take action.
You'll remember that before Memorial Day, the House passed its version of the 2012 national defense bill with harmful language that 1) unnecessarily expands repeal certification to all the service chiefs, 2) restates DOMA, and 3) even expands DOMA while limiting federal facility usage for legal same-sex marriages and restricting service members' and chaplains' religious freedom to participate in these marriages.
This week, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) will take its turn discussing and voting on the defense bill. While none of these damaging House amendments have surfaced yet in the SASC, we cannot afford to allow these House amendments to pass in the Senate.
Call senators on the SASC and tell them to keep these issues out of the defense spending bill. Visit the link below to see their names, numbers, and a suggested script - and to report your calls.
We cannot be silent as the threat of enshrining further discrimination against LGBT service members in law could become a reality. Please call these SASC members today.
06-13-11 By Aubrey Sarvis, Army Veteran and SLDN Executive Director |
2 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.Bill on June 13, 2011 at 09.06 pm
A 2nd comment as I watch the Republican debates. Most of the candidates who speak are probably hypocrites, but to give them the benefit of doubt, maybe they are just ignorant. They almost all oppose Open Service in the military, and they clearly don’t know or ignore the results of the military study on ending DADT. More evidence that the Commander-in-Chief should certify the end of DADT NOW—get this distraction from broader issues over now before it is too late. Most Republican candidates will scream briefly, then forget the whole issue as they see that Open Service works just fine
Bill on June 13, 2011 at 08.19 pm
Thanks Aubrey for your continuing push to end DADT. Now is crunch time. Our government 1st string (Obama, Gates, Millen) MUST certify the end of DADT before it breaks up with Gates’s retirement in just a couple of weeks. If not, ending DADT will drag on into a most dangerous period: the Congressional conference committee for the 2012 Defense Authorization Act. In that Kabuki environment, McKeon will be able to bully Levin, and the end of DADT is in danger of being derailed. Mr. President, Certify the end of DADT NOW!