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

Floor Speech

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Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. At no time, and certainly not at this critical juncture, should we be discharging qualified, dedicated service members who are willing to defend, serve and sacrifice for our Nation.

The Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy is clearly costly, it is ineffective, and it is unnecessary. And to repeal clearly makes a major step toward ending discrimination.

The Department of Defense's own internal survey has contradicted the claim that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would somehow hamper military readiness. It would not. And my own sense of morality clearly contradicts the idea that there's anything justifiable about forcing these men and women to live in the shadows or to live a lie just to serve.

At a time when our Nation's military needs dedicated Americans to serve, with great professionalism, with all the years of training that has been invested in them, clearly this is the time now where we should repeal this policy.

I want to thank Congressman Murphy for bringing this critical issue to the floor and urge my fellow Members to support our national security by repealing this outdated and damaging policy.

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