"Always Free"
Wow. Last week was an awesome week for me and for the movement to repeal Don't ask, Don't tell.
As I have mentioned before, I am a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). LULAC held their national convention in Washington, DC, last week. Among the various workshops and conferences, there is also a national assembly. During the assembly the delegates from across the nation vote on national officers, amendments to the organization's constitution and resolutions. The resolutions are used to build the platform of the organization. While LULAC is not a political party, you can see how similar it is to a political party.
During the national assembly, I proposed a resolution urging Congress to Repeal Don't ask, Don't tell by passing the Military Readiness Enhancement Act. With over 600 delegates present and voting, only one voted against the resolution. LULAC - a "straight" organization - now explicitly supports gay Americans serving openly and honestly in the armed forces!
Probably even more significant than LULAC joining the cause, was a release of a study written by four retired military officers - an Army general, a Navy admiral, a Marine Corps general and an Air Force general. These are heterosexual military men with more than 120 years of experience. In their report, they have several findings and explicitly state that Congress should repeal Don't ask, Don't tell. This is great because only a few weeks ago, former Sen. Sam Nunn stated that we should look into Don't ask, Don't tell because things have changed. He suggested that some studies should be done. Well, Senator, here ya go....
I encourage all of my readers to take a look at the report. It's only fifteen pages and it looks at Don't ask, Don't tell from a purely military point-of-view.
Even more significant than this report was the announcement of hearings on the Military Readiness Enhancement Act on 23 July - just one week from now. This is so exciting because these are the first hearings on gays in the military since 1993 - for fifteen years we have fought and died while Congress has looked the other way. Not anymore. We're going to have our chance to speak.
With all this activity, it is crucial that you contact our West Virginia representatives in the House and Senate. Even if I live in Texas, West Virginia will always be my home. Like sexual orientation, where you are born is not something you can choose, but I'm proud of both.
Here are the email addresses of West Virginia staffers on Capitol Hill:
Sen. Byrd:
Sen. Rockefeller:
Rep. Mollohan:
Rep. Moore Capito:
Rep. Rahall:
Please let me know if these emails are returned to you. They are accurate as of March 2008, but sometimes staff moves around and may no longer be in that office.
Also be sure to include your home address - that's how they know you actually live in their district. And specifically ask them to cosponsor the Military Readiness Enhancement Act if they are in the House, or support repealing Don't ask, Don't tell if they are Senators.
Some of you may not believe that Don't ask, Don't tell should be the priority for the gay community. And that's fine, we're all entitled to our own beliefs, but the political process is very similar for all issues. By working on this issue for the past couple years, I've learned a lot about politics in general and will be able to use that knowledge for other issues that are important to me. The education I have received is far better than anything some professor could teach me in a classroom, and there's not tuition to pay!