Florida rep. introduces DADT repeal

Florida State Representative Rick Kriseman (D-St. Petersburg) has filed House Memorial 1459, urging President Barack Obama to sign into law legislature that will effectively repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the military's 1993 ban on gays and lesbians serving openly.

"It's past time to end the failed policy of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' There are nearly eighty thousand gay or lesbian veterans who live in Florida. Brave men and women who served honorably, but also in fear. They deserved better, and today's service members deserve better. I urge our leaders in Washington, D.C., to move quickly in repealing this terribly ineffective law," said Rep. Kriseman.

The move has drawn the support of Equality Florida, the state's largest LGBT organization.

"Rick Kriseman joins our military's top leaders in recognizing that firing qualified military service members based on anti-gay prejudice is both un-American and hurts our military's readiness," said Nadine Smith, Equality Florida's executive director. "Those who choose to serve their country deserve respect, not discrimination."

The news of Kriseman's filing follows word that Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman plans to be the chief sponsor on a similar piece of legislation to be heard before the Senate. Lieberman said that a repeal of the ban provides Americans with "an equal opportunity to do whatever job their talents and sense of purpose and motivations lead them to want to do-including military service." He told the "New York Daily News" that the ban hurts the military as well. "When you artificially limit the pool of people who can enlist then you are diminishing military effectiveness."

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmones called the move a "welcome development."

"Senator Lieberman's announcement of the introduction of a Senate repeal bill is a welcome development following what has already been a historic several weeks in the campaign to end 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'" he said. "As a member of the Armed Services Committee and a longtime leader on issues of national security and foreign policy, Senator Lieberman's leadership on this bill is another positive sign that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' can end this year."

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), an organization dedicated to assisting those affected by DADT, has proposed a "Set End Date/Delayed Implementation" model for a full repeal that would take 18 months to go into effect. This program would allow the Pentagon to continue the implementation review process while at the same time locking in a definite date for a full repeal.

The SLDN praised Lieberman for sponsoring the Senate repeal.

"After 16 long years, we anticipate the first Senate repeal bill, thanks to the leadership of Sen. Lieberman. He has a long history of supporting a strong national security and in opposing discrimination of all kinds. We welcome the senator's leadership and commitment," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the SLDN. "Congress, however, must do its job and repeal DADT this year while the Department of Defense conducts its study. Both can and should happen concurrently. The best way to erase the law from the books in 2010 is for the Obama Administration to include repeal in the defense authorization bill."

The Independent senator has not yet released the details of the repeal, however.

"We anticipate knowing more later this week," said Lieberman's press secretary, Marshall Wittmann.

Pundits still question whether or not the bill will receive bipartisan support, especially in the current climate of seemingly dogmatic adherence to party lines on topics such as health care which both sides believe need reform. With conservative Republicans more likely to disapprove of the bill than their more liberal counterparts, Liberman's staff is looking to woo supporters from the right.

"We are in the process of reaching out to Republicans," Wittmann told the "Advocate."

Lieberman was asked to sponsor the bill by the White House and by gay rights groups. His bill will be heard by the Senate, while Kriseman's is heard in the House.

Kriseman took a pragmatic stance toward the issue that reaches beyond the call for civil rights, one that could appeal to conservatives.

"My wife and I have two children. We want them to grow up in a safe world. I wish this for all Floridians," he said. "There's no doubt that this policy makes us less safe and compromises the readiness and expertise of our great military."