Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a cosponsor and strong supporter of H.R. 2965, the Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. I want to thank Representative PATRICK MURPHY (D-PA) for his unrelenting advocacy for repealing this discriminatory law and Majority Leader HOYER for his leadership on this issue.

The time is long overdue for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT), the current law that says a member of the Armed Forces--one that would give his or her life defending our country--may not reveal his or her sexual orientation nor may the military ask about it. Just as today's Americans shake their heads at the thought of a segregated military--and indeed society--I suspect that generations to come will do the same at the shift we made in 1994 from the outright to tacit discrimination of homosexuals in the military. Indeed, if military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, recruiting, and retention are among the factors the military considers important to the overall success of our Armed Forces, one can hardly argue that DADT, which has brought about over 14,000 servicemember discharges, was and is the right course of action. Mr. Speaker, our nation is engaged in conflicts in multiple theatres and we are in desperate need of troops, as well as foreign language translators, and yet because of DADT, there is a segment of the population who want to serve openly and who, for all intents and purposes, face a sign saying they ``need not apply.''

The debate over DADT raises an interesting question about how the course of history might have changed had homosexuality been a factor in allowing military service for these distinguished warriors:

The Spartans, the preeminent military leaders of Sparta, known for military dominance; Julius Caesar, the father of the Roman Empire; Augustus Caesar, the first Emperor of the Roman Empire who ushered in the Pax Romana; the Emperor Hadrian; Alexander the Great, creator of one of the largest and most influential Empires in ancient history; The Sacred Band of Thebes, the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th Century BC.

King Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart, a central Christian commander during the Third Crusade; Frederick the Great, credited for creating a great European power by uniting Prussia; Herbert Kitchener, British Field Marshal renowned for his leadership during World War I; Lieutenant Colonel, T.E. Lawrence also known as Lawrence of Arabia, who successfully led the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire; and, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, who authored the Revolutionary War Drill Manual which became an essential manual for the Continental Army, helping to lead the United States to victory over the British in the Revolutionary War.

Mr. Speaker, as we consider this hypothetical, let us turn to the crux of the issue which is that any discriminatory law runs contrary to the principles of this great nation. ``Let us hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights .....'' That, Mr. Speaker, is the preamble to the Declaration of Independence and it is the epitome of who we are and what we stand for as a nation--we need to strive to uphold this quintessential value. DADT is discriminatory and we must end this harmful policy. Who knows how many of the 14,000 plus discharged would have gone on to excel in their military careers. It is time to allow them back in to the military to show us and prove that we, as a society, will no longer tolerate the outrageous discrimination that occurs. The gravestone of decorated Airman Leonard Matlovich, who revealed his homosexuality to his commanding officer, tragically reads, ``When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.'' Let us ensure we never again have such a grave marker. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on H.R. 2965.

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