PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Urge the Senate Armed Services Committee: Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
  1. Signatures
    709 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Sen. Bill Nelson (+ 5 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Sen. Bill Nelson (FL)
      • Sen. Ben Nelson (NE)
      • Sen. Jim Webb (VA)
      • Sen. Bob Byrd (WV)
      • Sen. Evan Bayh (IN)
      • Sen. Scott Brown
  2. Created By
    Michael Jones
    Boston, MA
About this Petition Petition Letter

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee will be the committee responsible for making sure a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" can move forward in the U.S. Senate. Right now, there are six swing votes on the committee who have remained wishy-washy on a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." They are: Sen. Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia), Sen. Jim Webb (D-Virginia), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska), Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Indiana), and Sen. Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts).

Without these six votes, repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" may not happen. Given news that White House officials, Pentagon leaders, and Congressional staffers have reached a compromise on the repeal procedure for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," these six votes could make all the difference in ending the systematic discrimination of the U.S. military toward gay, lesbian and bisexual troops.

Please urge these six Senators to get on board a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Nearly 14,000 troops have been kicked out of the military solely because of their sexual orientation. This hurts our national security and hurts the integrity of our military. Let's get rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" once and for all.

Recent Signatures

Please support a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Dear Senator

In the coming days, you will be voting on the National Defense Authorization Act. There's likely to be a vote on whether or not to include a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in this Act, and I urge you to please support this.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has claimed nearly 14,000 military careers, making our country less safe and removing well-qualified troops from national service. As we continue to fight two wars, not to mention a global War on Terror, the U.S. should not be turning away well qualified troops who want to serve and protect this country.

The White House, the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have all signed onto this repeal process. It would allow for a repeal to happen after the Pentagon completes its study on how to implement gay, lesbian and bisexual troops from the U.S. military.

With all of these bodies supporting a repeal, I urge you to join with them. With your vote, we can finally end a form of federally-recognized discrimination, we can make our country safer, and we can support the tens of thousands of gay, lesbian and bisexual troops (or would be troops) who want to serve their country with honor, integrity, and dignity.

Thank you for your time.

[Your name]

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