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President Obama signs legislation repealing military policy law during
a ceremony Wednesday in Washington, DC.
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By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — A president who has said he benefited from the civil
rights movement added to it Wednesday by giving gay and lesbian
citizens the right to fight for their country without hiding their
sexual orientation.
Describing it as "a moment more than two centuries in the making,"
President Obama signed into law a repeal of the 17-year-old "don't
ask, don't tell" policy that required service members who are gay to
keep it a secret. When fully implemented in a matter of months, he
said, the action will make the nation's armed forces stronger.
"There will never be a full accounting of the heroism demonstrated by
gay Americans in service to this country. Their service has been
obscured in history," the nation's first African-American president
said. "But at every turn, every crossroads in our past, we know gay
Americans fought just as hard, gave just as much to protect this
nation and the ideals for which it stands."
It was a poignant culmination of a battle Obama launched during his
presidential campaign but has struggled to win amid the harsh
realities of governing. Describing himself as "overwhelmed," the
customarily reserved president elated hundreds of gay rights activists
who have been disappointed at times by his mixed record on their
behalf.
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the nation's most prominent gay lawmaker,
called it the biggest piece of civil rights legislation since the
Voting Rights Act of 1965. Yet Frank, like others in the audience,
said it marked only a step toward full equality that one day should
include the right to marry. "We're at the halfway point," he said.
At a news conference later to mark the end of his second year in
office, Obama equivocated on the subject of gay marriage — something
he has opposed in the past while favoring civil unions, which would
give gays and lesbians new legal rights.
"My feelings about this are constantly evolving," Obama said. "I
struggle with this."
The boisterous crowd that heralded the bill signing cheered as a
history they helped to create was made. They savored the moment with
standing ovations and cries of "Yes We Can" and "U-S-A."
"It's history, and very few people get to experience history in a way
that they benefit from," said Dan Choi, an Iraq war veteran and former
Army first lieutenant who came out on television last year and was
discharged as a result in June. "When you fight for something you
believe in, sometimes you have to break the rules."
President Clinton agreed to "don't ask, don't tell" in 1993 as a
compromise to replace a Pentagon policy that homosexuality was
incompatible with military service. More than 17,000 gay men and
lesbians were discharged under the initial policy, as well as 14,000
more since 1993.
The fight to repeal the law was uphill even after Obama won the White
House. It took until last weekend for the Senate, in a lame-duck
session, to vote 65-31 for repeal; opponents such as Sen. John McCain,
R-Ariz., warned it could weaken military readiness. Republicans' gains
at the polls last month likely would have made repeal more difficult
next year.
"It's a great day in America," said Darrel Choat, a Marine Corps major
who attended the bill-signing ceremony. "It would have been way worse
for the next couple of years."
Choat came to shake hands with the president, for whom he had worked
as a White House social aide. When the two met in the front of the
Interior Department auditorium after the event, Choat said Obama told
him: "See, I told you we'd get it done."
It's not quite done. The law gives the Pentagon time to implement the
policy, which Obama has said could take months. He said he spoke to
his service commanders Tuesday — including Gen. James Amos, commandant
of the Marine Corps, who previously opposed the repeal.
"I have spoken to every one of the service chiefs, and they are all
committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently," Obama
said. "We are not going to be dragging our feet to get this done."
In the meantime, gay rights advocates are warning active-duty
personnel against declaring their sexual orientation too soon. "The
sooner the law is implemented, the sooner our gay and lesbian service
members can begin serving their country with honesty and dignity,"
said Laura Murphy of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The president was joined on stage by some of the gay and lesbian
heroes of the repeal effort: Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, who lost a
leg as the first American wounded in Iraq, and retired Navy commander
Zoe Dunning, who served openly as a lesbian after more than two years
of legal battles in the 1990s.
The loudest ovation of the day was reserved for Adm. Mike Mullen,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Obama quoted Mullen as having
said, "Our people sacrifice a lot for their country, including their
lives. None of them should have to sacrifice their integrity as well."
Speaking directly to gays and lesbians at the end of his remarks,
Obama urged them to serve with honor, and he welcomed new recruits:
"I say to all Americans, gay or straight, who want nothing more than
to defend this country in uniform: Your country needs you, your
country wants you, and we will be honored to welcome you into the
ranks of the finest military the world has ever known."
More:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2010-12-23-dontask23_ST_N.htm
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
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