Tag: Don\’t Ask Don\’t Tell
Polis cheers ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ repeal, lauds leadership
Openly gay Colorado Congressman Jared Polis took to the floor of the House Wednesday to commend U.S. leaders for putting an end to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Clinton-era policy banning gay members of the military from serving openly. Gay citizens will "hold their heads a little higher as Americans," Polis said soon after President Obama signed the repeal. "We are closer to equal treatment under the law, which is all we have ever asked for. Our government will no longer be an instrument of discrimination against us."
In wake of repeal, a look back at how ‘Don’t Ask,...
Members of the government in Washington, reviled by the majority of the American public as a pack of petty partisan do-nothings, took action this weekend. Democrats and Republicans joined together in an inspired last-ditch effort that succeeded in repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy banning gay soldiers from serving openly. The 17-year-old policy reflected a confused transitional moment in U.S. history. It was written by military brass referencing no serious empirical data. It asked soldiers to lie to each other and to their commanding officers. It resulted in tens of thousands of discharges and hundreds of millions of wasted dollars on education, combat training and legal fees. Even though the policy's end came too late to prevent the career disasters that befell gay service members such as CU Boulder Air Force ROTC Cadet Mara Boyd, maybe it came in time to see many of those careers resurrected.
Udall, Bennet, Colorado LGBT community laud Senate passage of DADT repeal
Colorado Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall today were joined by the state’s gay and lesbian activist groups in cheering the 65 to 31 Senate votes to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that bars gay men and women from serving openly in the military.
Video: Gay activist Lt. Dan Choi talks DADT at CU
BOULDER – Prominent gay rights activist Lt. Dan Choi delivered an impassioned speech to hundreds of CU students on Thursday, offering his personal story on the military’s “Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell” gays in the military policy.
Udall sees greenlight at crucial moment for DADT repeal
Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, a leader in the effort to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell gays in the military policy, told MSNBC he...
From immigration to energy, Dems face high hurdles in lame-duck session...
The midterm hangover having finally worn off, the 111th Congress returned Monday to kick off the lame-duck session, its last hurrah before its successor takes over. And the 112th Congress will look radically different, with Republicans in control of the House and the Democratic majority in the Senate significantly reduced. These next few weeks, then, could be the last chance for major Democratic initiatives. But the hurdles are high, and Republicans see no reason to grant Democrats any victories after the populace voiced its discontent with the policies of the past two years.
Udall urges legislative route to DADT repeal
Colorado's U.S. Sen. Mark Udall urged members of the Senate to pass-- or at very least to agree to debate-- the nation's Defense Authorization bill, which includes an amendment that would repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell rule barring gays from serving openly in the military. Udall, a champion of DADT repeal, is so far not endorsing the so-called Truman option, where Pres. Obama would issue an executive order repealing the controversial policy the way Pres. Harry Truman in 1948 by executive order repealed rules racially segregating the military after a similarly drawn-out legislative battle.
Udall working to head off GOP filibuster on DADT repeal
The U.S. Senate today is scheduled to make a key procedural vote on the defense authorization bill, legislation that primarily releases resources for the...
Gay rights group One Colorado endorses Hickenlooper in guv race
In its first election season campaign endorsement, One Colorado has come out solidly for Democrat John Hickenlooper in the three-way governor's race.
"As mayor...
Colo. primary weekend preview: Fuming McCain rails against DADT repeal
Arizona Senator John McCain is coming to Colorado this weekend to campaign for GOP U.S. Senate candidate Jane Norton, who was a leading member...