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Servicemembers United To Hold Final Push To Repeal DADT On 16 Sept.

08/20/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is coming up, or at least the compromise that will lead to the repeal of that law if President Barack Obama, Admiral Michael Mullen, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates all agree.  Servicemembers United is calling for one last lobby day in order to push for repeal.  Odds on are that the Defense bill will finally be voted upon at the end of September, and this will be the last day for people to lobby for the repeal.  Dubbed “The Final Assault,” the lobby day is set for 16 September.

Executive Director of Servicemembers United, Alexander Nicholson, stated “This lobby day will be the last major opportunity for supporters of repeal to come to Washington, make the case for this amendment, and hold their senators accountable on this vote.  Lobbying for repeal is now a lot more complicated than simply saying ‘support repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ so we want to be able to explain the nuances of the current situation to repeal supporters and arm them with the detailed information they need to hold their Senators accountable.”  Nicholson is a former Army interrogator who was discharged under DADT.

SU will also be hosting their first-ever meeting in Washington for military partners from around the country.  Their Campaign for Military Partners initiative was created in 2009 to contact and support the partners of LGBT military personnel.

LGBT Rights are slowly advancing across the country.  The repeal of DADT is widely supported, with some 75% of Americans supporting it.  Still, some politicians such as Senator John McCain are more concerned about appearing to be anti-LGBT in order to garner Right Wing support than they are about the safety and security of the nation or of the troops that they often claim to admire.

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