Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": A Care Package for the Troops

by Dana Rudolph · 2010-09-17 06:00:00 UTC
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When I had a friend stationed in Iraq, I sent over a care package. It was mainly a bunch of snacks with high melting points (chocolate bars don’t do well in desert heat), but I hear it was appreciated and shared. Closer family members sent more personal and useful items -- letters and photos, sunscreen and socks. Now, we all have a chance to send a care package to our troops -- at least, a care package of a sort.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has scheduled a vote for next week on the defense funding bill that includes provisions to repeal (subject to some conditions) the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian and gay servicemembers. Some senators, notably John McCain (R-Ariz.) are threatening to filibuster the bill. (For those not up on parliamentary procedure, a “filibuster” is basically what my son does at bedtime -- talk ceaselessly so the event can’t happen.) Reid has filed for cloture -- a counter-procedure to end debate and proceed with a vote -- but the cloture motion itself won’t be voted on until Tuesday.

Here's what you need to do: Call your Senators now and ask them to support both the cloture motion and the repeal of DADT that is in the defense bill. You can phone the 24-hour Capitol switchboard at any time: (202) 224-3121. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has some tips for what to say.

Repealing DADT will help currently serving gay and lesbian troops, of course. They have to bear the extra stress of hiding their orientation, can’t often speak or write freely with their families while stationed away from them, and their families don’t get the same support services as those of other troops.

Repealing DADT will, however, also help non-gay troops. As U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips wrote when she ruled DADT unconstitutional last week, "the effect of [DADT] has been, not to advance the Government's interests of military readiness and unit cohesion, much less to do so significantly, but to harm that interest."

Urge your Senators to support the repeal. That's a care package that definitely won't melt in the sun.

Photo credit: U.S. Army

Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian, a blog and resource directory for LGBT parents.

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