The roster of
politicians lining up to put an end to the
"don't ask, don't tell" military policy
is steadily growing, with three Democrats and one
Republican becoming recent cosponsors of House legislation
that would repeal the ban on openly gay soldiers.
The
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a nonprofit group
working to end "don't ask, don't tell," announced on
Thursday that Republican Sherwood Boehlert of New York
and Democrats Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, Julia
Carson of Indiana, and Michael Doyle or
Pennsylvania signed on as cosponsors of the Military
Readiness Enhancement Act, the bill introduced in
March 2005 that would eliminate the ban. The four
politicians join the 110 other members of Congress who
have already called for an end to "don't ask, don't
tell."
"More and
more lawmakers of both parties are increasingly
disillusioned by the military's policy of exclusion
and discrimination," said SLDN executive
director C. Dixon Osburn. "'Don't ask, don't tell'
undermines our national security and singles out
lesbian and gay Americans for second-class
citizenship. Service to our country should be based on
talent and qualification."
Boehlert is now
the fifth Republican cosponsor of the Military Readiness
Enhancement Act. McKinney is the ninth member of the House
Armed Services Committee who is a cosponsor. (The
Advocate)