Hare Statement Supporting Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Floor Speech

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the amendment from yesterday, and I am proud to have joined my colleagues in repealing the discriminatory Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, I did so not only because I believe this is an important step toward full LGBT equality, but also because I believe repealing the policy will make our military stronger and our Nation more secure.

Mr. Speaker, since the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy was created in 1993, more than 13,000 able-bodied patriotic Americans have been jettisoned from the military simply because of who they are. These are brave men and women who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We owe these Americans a debt of gratitude, not disrespect and dishonor.

This was not a difficult vote for me. The preamble to our Constitution states: "We, the people, in order to form a more perfect Union, to provide for the common defense, and secure the blessings of liberty, do ordain and establish this Constitution.'' Our President often says we are in the constant process of making our Nation a more perfect Union.

In my view, this amendment is vital if we are to uphold the Constitution's promise of equal protection to gays and lesbians in my home State of Florida and all across America. My friends in the LGBT community know all too well that serving their Nation openly and honestly in the Armed Forces is but one of many rights they are currently denied. That's wrong, and with this vote we made it right.

Yet as important as this amendment is towards bestowing full civil rights for gays and lesbians, it is equally important because it will improve our military readiness and make our Nation more secure. Too often we are told in this Chamber that we must choose between our security and our liberty. And I generally reject that false choice. But in this case, with this vote, we both expand civil liberties and make our Nation more secure.

Mr. Speaker, since the attacks of September 11, when our Nation has been waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, at the very time that we have been under serious and sustained threats from global terror networks, the United States military has discharged more than 800 soldiers in mission-critical positions, including Arabic and Farsi linguists. Why? Are they bad translators or poor soldiers, marines, or airmen? No, they were discharged for only one reason, because they were gay or lesbian.

They were discharged despite the fact they made valuable contributions to our intelligence community. They were discharged despite the fact we have an alarming shortage of translators. So this policy is not only an affront to civil liberties; but at a time when we are fighting two wars, it is idiotic.

But it is important to repeal this policy for a third reason. It is dishonorable. Gays and lesbians are serving in our Nation's Armed Forces with great distinction. They always have. The only question is whether our government must continue to ask them to lie about their sexual orientation in order to do so. The Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy is the only law in the country that requires people to be dishonest about their personal lives or face the possibility of being fired.

Our own Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, recently said, "No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me personally, it comes down to integrity--theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.''

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more. No one should have to lie to perform any job, but especially not those sworn to protect our Nation. I think it is only fitting that this amendment was offered by the first Iraq war veteran to serve in Congress, Representative Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania. Congressman Murphy served in Bosnia and in the famed 82nd Airborne in Iraq. So when he brought his amendment before this House, he did so with deep love for his country and with our military's best interests at heart.

The policy Congressman Murphy crafted, in cooperation with our Commander in Chief and Pentagon leaders, is a responsible one. It merely unties the hands of leaders at the Pentagon by removing the outdated Don't Ask, Don't Tell statute, while ensuring that the transition to a new personnel policy takes place without disruption to our fighting force.

In the spirit of equality and a more perfect Union, with the confidence we are making our Nation more secure, and with pride that we are ending a policy of dishonor, we uphold our American values by repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

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