Voices of Honor - Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell

The Human Rights Campaign has a national campaign to repeal the anti-gay Don't Ask Don't Tell policy in the U.S. military. Voices of Honor is an effort to ensure that the 66,000 gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members no longer have to hide their identities and risk being taunted or kicked out of the military.

The policy has been in place since 1993 but President Barack Obama has pledged in his State of the Union address to work with congress to repeal the policy this year.

Urge congress to act swiftly to repeal DADT, an archaic and immoral piece of legislation.

Stonewall Dems Fundraise for Congressman Patrick Murphy

The Stonewall Democrats, a national LGBT organization associated with the Democratic National Committee is fund-raising on behalf of our 'fierce advocate' when it comes to the Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal.

Congressman Patrick Murphy is the lead sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, and as a veteran of the military, he has been using his position to speak up for change.

Send a letter of thanks to the congressman, and pledge to support his re-election efforts.

Web Spotlight: Let Them Serve

Let Them Serve is a website by congressman Patrick Murphy who is the lead co-sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act which would repeal the ban on gay service members. The website offers information, a petition, and ways to take action to end don't ask don't tell.

Tell Speaker Pelosi to Make Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal a Priority

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (HR 1283) which would allow gay, lesbian, and bisexual servicemembers to serve openly has the backing of the majority of citizens and Democrats in power. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has the power to make this issue of ending discrimination in our military a priority.

Join SLDN and the Courage Campaign in urging Speaker Pelosi to act to end DADT.

Tell Congress: Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

A Message From PFLAG:

Please email your Member of Congress and urge them to support repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Lawmakers are now considering The Military Readiness Enhancement Act - a bill that would end the prohibition on service by lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans - and they need to hear from their constituents about why this issue is so important.

By the end of today, two more service members will be dismissed from our armed forces under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

That's right: Two people are fired by our federal government, every day, simply because of who they are, and who they love. Since the law's inception, more than 12,000 men and women - including doctors, linguists, helicopter pilots and others - have been dismissed from the military.

Military families deserve to be treated equally under the law. LGBT Americans deserve an opportunity to serve our country. And our country deserves a fighting force that includes the best and brightest our country has to offer, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender troops, too.

Join PFLAG in calling on Congress to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The time has come to end this discriminatory law and break down the barriers that prevent our loved ones from proudly defending the country we love.

Through this PFLAG Action Alert you can put another dent into this discriminatory law.

Radio Host "Gunny" Bob Newman: "Gays In Military Increases HIV/AIDS"

On January 7 "Gunny" Bob Newman, host of The Gunny Bob Show on Colorado's KOA-AM Radio, used his Clear Channel-owned media platform to make false and defamatory comments about gay service members. Newman suggested that lifting "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the ban on allowing qualified gay military personnel to serve openly in the armed forces, would lead to greater HIV risk.

On the program Mr. Newman said:

"Interesting, though, how Barack Obama, who strictly avoided military service, has – says that the key test must be those things. He left a lot of stuff out. Like being able to fight with as much combat power as you possibly can. And if we have gays serving openly in the military, according to the military, that is going to reduce their combat power. You reduce combat power, casualties can go up.

We had a doctor call in the last hour, a military doctor, been in a long time, and he explained the dangers of HIV-AIDS on the battlefield. Especially when it comes to combat transfusions at the battalion aid station or where have you, in the back of a Hummer ambulance, wherever. And I added there's also the danger of contamination when it comes to all the first responders on scene.

Often times that's gonna be a medic or a corpsman. Or just another soldier – doesn't have to be a medic or a corpsman or a Marine or what have you – who faces the additional risk of HIV-AIDS contamination. And the doctor also went on to explain, you know, how these transfusions are sought and how quickly they must happen. And he pointed out that if we do this, and more and more gays join the military and they are HIV-positive or suffering from AIDS, and their blood ends up getting transfused, you know, into another military person, well, then that's a death sentence for the other person too. 303-713-8585.

This doesn't bother Barack Obama. It doesn't faze him in the least. He doesn't care if a soldier or a Marine or a SEAL or what have you gets HIV, becomes HIV-positive, and then develops AIDS and dies because he happened to get a transfusion from an, say, an openly gay person with a very active sexual, open lifestyle.

Because to Obama, what's most important is two things, being politically correct – excuse me, three things: being politically correct; functioning as a good leftist; and number three, paying back the gay and lesbian lobby, which donated such staggering sums of money to his campaign. He owes them a lot of money."

The audio version of it can be found below thanks to Colorado Media Matters...


GLAAD is asking us to contact Clear Channel-owned KOA-AM executives in Denver, Colorado and Clear Channel Communications national executives in San Antonio, Texas to demand that they reprimand "Gunny" Bob Newman for his inappropriate and offensive remarks. Call on them to stop allowing their platforms to be used to perpetuate false and defamatory stereotypes about the LGBT community.

Contact:

KOA-AM

Mr. Lee Larsen
Vice President & General Manager
KOA-AM
Outlet Phone: (303) 713-8000
Email: leelarsen@clearchannel.com

Ms. Kristine Olinger
Director of AM Programming
KOA-AM
Outlet Phone: (303) 713-8000
Email: kristineolinger@clearchannel.com

Clear Channel Communications

Ms. Kathryn Johnson
Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations
Clear Channel Communications
Outlet Phone: (210) 822-2828
Email: kathrynmaysjohnson@clearchannel.com

Ms. Lisa Dollinger
Chief Communications Officer
Clear Channel Communications
Outlet Phone: (210) 822-2828
Email: lisacdollinger@clearchannel.com

If you choose to email Bob Newman himself he can be reached at bobnewman@850koa.com

Tell the new Congress: Pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act

Call on congress to support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, to repeal the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" statute banning open military service by lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" applies to all Americans serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including active duty, Reserve, and National Guard personnel. Over two million Americans serving in uniform today are bound by this discriminatory law; among them, an estimated 65,000 lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans in uniform live with the constant threat of a career-ending discharge under the ban. This is no way to treat patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve our nation in its time of need.

Please sign the Service members Legal Defense Network petition.