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History Made as Sen. Lieberman Introduces “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 3, 2010
Contact: Kevin Nix (202) 621-5402 or knix@sldn.org
History Made as Sen. Lieberman Introduces “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Bill
SLDN also hails Chairman Levin’s strong leadership; handful of senators make or break a 2010 repeal
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Servicemembers Legal Defense Network applauds Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (I-Conn.) introduction of the first-ever bill in the U.S. Senate that repeals the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law and replaces it with a policy of nondiscrimination. The bill is titled the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010.
"Today Sen. Lieberman made history. We applaud the Senator’s unwavering commitment to a strong national defense and civil rights," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. "The 66,000 gay and lesbian service members should know we are one big step closer to ending the ban.”
Sarvis continued. “We also salute Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) for signing up as an original cosponsor. The Lieberman bill has the chairman’s imprimatur, and is clearly one of his top priorities in 2010. This is only the second time that Sen. Levin, as the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has either sponsored or was the original co-sponsor of legislation that went before his committee.”
The Lieberman/Levin bill effectively mirrors the companion bill in the House of Representatives championed by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), though language in the Senate bill provides for an extended period of time for the military to transition to open service and provides ample time for the Pentagon Working Group to complete its work. In response to senior Pentagon leaders requesting more time to manage a transition period, SLDN proposed last January a longer period of time to transition to open service (18 months). Section 7 of the Lieberman/Levin bill reflects this request and the need for a date certain for current law to end.
"This does not mean, however, things slow down in Congress,” said Sarvis. “Quite the opposite. It’s full steam ahead for legislative repeal this year. Congress must do its job and repeal DADT this year while the Department of Defense conducts its study over the coming year. SLDN will be squarely focused on the handful of Democratic and Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who will determine whether repeal is done this year, or not.”
SLDN applauds all original cosponsors of bill, including Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Roland Burris (D-Ill.) – all of whom brought passion and a sense of urgency to the debate, as well as Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.).
The Lieberman/Levin bill introduction comes at a time when there is unprecedented level of support for repeal of the 1993 ban including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Gen. David Petraeus, Gen. Colin Powell, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and an overwhelming majority of the American people, including 60 percent of Republicans, according to last month’s Washington Post/ABC News poll.
Also last month Admiral Mullen testified before Congress in support of repeal. “I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity – theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.”
Polling shows a generational divide when it comes to support for gays serving openly. Seventy-three percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, for instance, are comfortable serving alongside their gay comrades.
“Despite the remarkable support repeal has garnered over the past month from military quarters, we still have a lot of hard work to do,” said Sarvis. “All eyes are on the Senate – in particular the Senate Armed Services Committee which is now working on the defense bill.”
Find out how you can help usher in DADT repeal this year by visiting http://www.sldn.org/page/speakout/Senators.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (www.sldn.org) is a national, non-profit legal services and policy organization dedicated to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." A journalists' guide is available here.
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