The leader of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group that advocates for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, wrote a letter to President Obama today urging him to include repeal in his defense budget recommendations.
SLDN’s executive director, Aubrey Sarvis, wrote that he’s “very disturbed” by reports that the White House is asking lawmakers to delay a vote on repeal until after the mid-term elections.
Sarvis explained to the The Advocate that House and Senate staffers have told him that Department of Defense representatives have asked them to delay the vote. The DOD, he said, doesn’t want a vote until a review of the policy is completed by the Pentagon. The review is due in December.
“The upcoming House and Senate votes will be close, and very frankly, Mr. President, we need your help now,” Sarvis wrote. “I respectfully urge you to continue speaking up for [service members] on Capitol Hill. Under your leadership and with your voice we can have a repeal victory this year.”
You can read the full letter here (PDF).
Gay rights groups, including SLDN, have been pushing for Obama to include repeal in his recommendations for next year’s defense appropriations bill. Some say it’s the only way repeal could conceivably happen this year.
“The House Armed Services Committee is only 30 days away from marking up your Defense Authorization bill. As you prepare to send your ï¬nal defense budget recommendations to the House and Senate committees, this is both the time and place for you to reafï¬rm your strong commitment to repealing this law,” Sarvis wrote in the letter.
The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the military, must be repealed by Congress. The Obama administration has made changes to the policy, including tightening the restrictions on who may begin discharge proceedings against a gay service member.
