The Senate has voted to end the military's ban on openly gay troops, putting the final Congressional approval on an end to the disastrous Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy. Since Congress passed the compromise bill 17 years ago, DADT has cost the nation an estimated $1.3 billion dollars and ended the careers of 13,000 service members who wanted to help their nation.
And finally, today, in passing a standalone bill for repeal by a vote of 65-31 (roll call here), the Senate has ended Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Notably, Republican Senators Richard Burr of North Carolina and John Ensign of Nevada switched their votes from no on cloture earlier to yes for final passage. The measures were advanced primarily in the House by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pennsylvania) and in the Senate by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) should get an honorary pound cake or something for totally coming through. And as Rachel Maddow just said on MSNBC, this is the president's victory.
Now that this ridiculous policy has been repealed it already feels like there is a giant shift from how our country treated homosexuals yesterday, and how they treat them today. That is probably mostly in my imagination, because people's prejudices don't change overnight, but it certainly feels as if we have suddenly removed a huge obstacle to the full acceptance of gays in America.
I hope that this decision will cause ripples of love to spread across our country, and that soon we will see more respect and acceptance being demonstrated toward our gay friends and family members.
It would be wonderful if this opened the door to allowing gays to get married in this country, just like their heterosexual neighbors and co-workers, and allowed them to rent apartments, to have jobs, and to adopt children everywhere in these united states without being persecuted or treated as evil or sinful, simply because of who and how they love.
I have every confidence that those changes are coming, but for today all I have to say is that it is indeed a great day in America.
I hope so too but I have my doubts. babyboomers are the ones who vote most and most of them are anti gay rights. teenagers are strongly anti gay and mock them constantly. The word fag and crap like that are WAAAAY too common terminology in high schools. Even my youngest cousin who is one of the sweetest people blindly hates gays (and blacks). BUt she is from Houston and hasn't learned that the way of life there is not like most other places. It's all about being sheltered and kept conformed to the traditional way of living.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great day and I'm very proud of my country. I do believe this is the beginning, and that within the next few years we will have legal gay marriage across this country. How will we be able to continue denying it, when decorated openly gay soldiers will be returning from war?
ReplyDeleteHappy Things to think about:
ReplyDeletegays currently do adopt and raise children and those kids are happy as can be. (or the ones Ive met anywa)
at least bullying is something more people discuss and not in a positive light. things like that used to be tossed under the bed
As it stands, gays do liv happily with what they have. Thats all one can do.
Finally! A bittersweet victory considering that it could have been changed months ago with the stroke of a pen. I voted for Obama, but I will never forget nor forgive his smarmy inaction on this issue. The only possible upside is that the discussion forced all the homophobes (like McCain) to come out of the closet and be forever branded with their hatred.
ReplyDeleteThese words from President Obama on DADT are worth repeating:
ReplyDelete¨This victory belongs to you. Without your commitment, the promise I made as a candidate would have remained just that.
Instead, you helped prove again that no one should underestimate this movement. Every phone call to a senator on the fence, every letter to the editor in a local paper, and every message in a congressional inbox makes it clear to those who would stand in the way of justice: We will not quit.¨
Good things happen when people get involved.
It would be wonderful yes. I fear the worst though. Hopefully I am just jaded from years of watching homophobia and ignorance.
ReplyDeleteAnon@7.06a - the way the law was changed was much better than if Obama had done it himself. Much better. This way, the commitment to get rid of DADT was done by a much broader group of senators and congressmen. No one can "blame" Obama for putting HIS will on the people; now it's a larger responsibility.
ReplyDeleteThis way is MUCH better.
Just saw on the news today some rethug saying how the liberal agenda has forced this down the throat of the rest of us....and as usual a lukewarm dem response. I don't know why we get away with them saying that. This is not a liberal agenda. We ALL KNOW how much power liberals have in Washington right now and I'd say it's close to zero. Conservatives voted for this bill to end DADT and that's why it's passing.
ReplyDeleteI hope there is some provision in this bill for rehiring all those who were fired on this basis in the past. . .with full credit for past service.
ReplyDeleteMicMac
"babyboomers are the ones who vote most and most of them are anti gay rights....Even my youngest cousin who is one of the sweetest people blindly hates gays (and blacks). BUt she is from Houston and hasn't learned that the way of life there is not like most other places. It's all about being sheltered and kept conformed to the traditional way of living."
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous at 6:42:
I am a lifelong resident of Houston, TX. I am also a female Baby Boomer. My 22-year old daughter grew up here, too, so she attended public school here, as well.
You are painting with an awfully broad brush. My husband, our daughter, and I are all in complete agreement and in strong support of gay and other civil rights for ALL Americans.
Just wanted to add that into the discussion this morning. Not all Texans are bigoted against gays and other Americans.
Some of us Boomers appreciate the sacrifices of ALL of our American military personnel and do not consider sexual orientation to make any difference in patriotism and sacrifice to the United States.
Some food for thought for my straight friends:
ReplyDeleteMany of us started out straight. So it's not like we were never on YOUR side of the yellow line. We were. And some of us didn't even have any gay friends. Then when we realized who we loved,....we simply took a step across the line, because that's where society said we belonged. We were told to pick up our gay card and step across the line.
Then, like a twilight zone episode, everything magically changed for us. Five minutes after self-identifying, we were suddenly subhuman. We were suddenly the other. We were suddenly not like you, even though we were just 5 minutes ago. Even with gay-friendly folks, we were now talked about as if we were a different race, or different culture, or from a different planet, albeit a likable one. And the bottom line is folks....we are just like you. There's no reason to figure us out, or find a new place for us. We belong in the same place we always did.
Someday, far off in the future, there won't be a yellow line, and people will figure out that sexuality is a continuum, not black and white, and doesn't have a whole lot to do with who we are, anyway.
Because of my various interests and career paths, I have had many gay and lesbian friends, acquaintances and colleagues. Since first being introduced to the LGBT community in the 70s, I have seen an incredible shift in the public acceptance of gays and lesbians. While we are still a long way off from full equality and acceptance, we have come a very long way. Perhaps the most significant change is the generational attitude towards sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteOn 'This Week' this morning, Donna Brazile said she believed that the implementation of the repeal will be a 'non-event', achieved with much less upheaval than many in Congress anticipate. I believe this is due in great part to the fact that many people in their 20s and 30s just don't have the prejudice against their LGBT peers that earlier generations had.
Perhaps we will all live to see the day that sexual orientation will be considered no more significant than eye color...lots of variation but with no real impact on the value of that person.
>A bittersweet victory considering that it could have been changed months ago with the stroke of a pen.
ReplyDeleteMaybe so, but can you imagine what the reaction would have been? 'Tyrant socialist Obama forces gays down the throats of Real Americans!'
No, the Congress created the problem so the Congress best cleaned it up.
I hate to go o/t on this important post, but something bugs me
ReplyDeleteBristol has said repeated Levi hasn't seen Tripp in 5 mos. Yet we have Levi's fb prof pic with Tripp wearing that mayor shirt, Levi first publicly mentioned running for mayor in I think Sept?
Tripp had longer, waivy hair until around the Bristol/Leno interview, where pics showed short hair and he's had short hair since. So to me, Levi would have had to take that pic with him pre-Leno, but when did he see him? Bristol left for LA Aug 19th (or that Saturday). I highly doubt Levi saw Tripp when her and Mark visited the 28th of Sept. Tripp also looks slimmer with shorter hair and looks quite babyfaced with Levi in that pic.
Weird
@7:06 a.m.,
ReplyDeleteNo, Barack Obama could not have changed 'Don't ask, Don't Tell' with the "stroke of a pen," months ago. Even Rachel Maddow, finally admitted this yesterday, after giving him such a hard time about it. Rachel Maddow admitted that SHE was wrong. Now, she's like, "I'm sorry Mr. President! I admit I was wrong! You were right the whole time! My expectations were unrealistic! This is a victory for the president!"
I think Rachel Maddow, Keith Olberman, and Ed Schultz, and other "progressives" deliberately misled people into believing that Barack Obama could easily repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' with a "stroke of a pen," which is one of the reasons I no longer watch their shows.
So DADT repeal was a few months late. Blacks had to wait a few years, as JFK dragged his feet on legislation to end segregation, which he promised to push for as soon as he took office. Some people just can't give Barack Obama credit for anything.
Anon 7:06
ReplyDeleteYes I wanted him to use the pen too. But that would have been the easy way and as you say---I want to know the homophobes. It would have let them all off the hook for all eternity. Everybody remembers who didn't vote for the Civil Rights Act.
Is he a coward? Or do most things he does eventually make the opposers seem like idiots? And of all the things that he has done in 2 years why do Dems still treat him like the republicans do? Is he not fast enough or is it we think he has to run the country like Bush did----signing statements out the ass? I find it interesting. It's almost like people expected impossible things and when the impossible didn't happen because of a weak democratic congress and an insane GOP the Presidents worst enemies were the people who voted for him.
Just some thoughts.
Anon 7:06 - "Finally! A bittersweet victory considering that it could have been changed months ago with the stroke of a pen."
ReplyDeleteThis is so much sweeter and more powerful than either an Executive Order or a court order. An EO doesn't have the weight of law; it only changes administrative procedure that can easily be reversed. I'm sorry you don't understand and don't fully appreciate what has been won.
We still need to keep a watch on Congress and the military. There's a 60-day waiting period with Congressional oversight before DADT is legally dead. And even then, the different branches of the military apparently have some leeway on how/when they implement the law.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps deserves special attention. Hopefully, he'll be 'relieved' of his duties.
it's mostly the old farts that discriminate against gays and they are getting older every day.
ReplyDeleteYoung people don't care about gays, and for the most part, they are accepted as normal people.
Hating gays is a learned behavior. Children do not exhibit homophobia.
Widespread discrimination against a class of people on the basis of their homosexual status developed only in the twentieth century, however, and peaked from the 1930s to the 1960s. Gay men and women were labeled “deviants,” “degenerates,” and “sex criminals” by the medical profession, government officials, and the mass media. The federal government banned the employment of homosexuals and insisted that its private contractors ferret out and dismiss their gay employees, many state governments prohibited gay people from being served in bars and restaurants, Hollywood prohibited the discussion of gay issues or the appearance of gay or lesbian characters in its films, and many municipalities launched police campaigns to suppress gay life. The authorities worked together to create or reinforce the belief that gay people were an inferior class to be shunned by other Americans.
Since the 1960s, however, and especially since the Bowers decision in 1986, official and popular attitudes toward homosexuals have changed.
the medical profession no longer stigmatizes homosexuality as a disease, prohibitions on employment of homosexuals have given way to anti-discrimination protections, gay characters have become common in movies and on television, 86 percent of Americans support gay rights legislation, and family law has come to recognize gays and lesbians as part of non-traditional families worthy of recognition. These changes have not gone uncontested, but a large majority of Americans have come to oppose discrimination against lesbians and gay men.
IMO, it may take another decade, but we are quickly on the road to equality for all.
Anon @8:09 AM:
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a senior in high school (back in the late 70s) a friend sat me down after school one day and told me he was gay. I could tell it was very difficult for him but my reaction was essentially, "Yeah, and..."
He was shocked at my matter-of-fact response and I explained that, while I hadn't known for sure, I had suspected for a long time. And it made absolutely no difference to me because he wasn't any different than he had been an hour before. I could see his whole body just release the tension he had been holding inside and he began to tell me about his family's reaction to his announcement. Sadly, they were not accepting and his life, like you mentioned, had suddenly become very difficult. The people who were closest to him had changed in an instant and, for the 6 or so years that we stayed in touch after that, he never regained his old relationship with them.
Even at the age of 17, I could not imagine rejecting my child for something they had no control over and it broke my heart to see how it destroyed him.
Although we went our separate ways a long time ago, I came across some information about him a few years ago. He has become very successful and is well- respected in his field. Last I heard, he was in a happy, long-term relationship and was doing very well both professionally and personally.
Ultimately, it was his family who lost the most, even if they eventually made peace with him, because I'm sure that, even if he was able to forgive, he was likely not able to forget.
Thankfully, it seems as though that type of attitude is changing more with each new generation, and I hope that young people who are gay are much less likely to experience that type of pain than those of my generation.
Our Alaska senators did the right thing and held true. It made me proud to be an Alaskan!
ReplyDeleteThis could NOT have been changed permanently by the stroke of the president's pen. The next president could reverse that Exectuive Order with another "stroke of the pen". This is permanent, and to be changed will require MORE legislation. He did this the right way. And I too think it will be a non-issue with the military's implementation going forward. The great majority of Americans favored this repeal. I hope that marriage equality and other civil rights will soon follow, but that will be on a state by state basis...unless there's a constitutional amendment. We couldn't pass the ERA back in the 70s.
ReplyDelete