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Log Cabin Republicans Urge Passage of S. 4023 to Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

December 14, 2010

(Washington, DC) – Immediately following the failure to achieve cloture on the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011, Log Cabin Republicans ally Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), along with Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) introduced a stand-alone bill, S. 4023, which would repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'

"Log Cabin Republicans strongly support immediate passage of S. 4023 to repeal the failed and unconstitutional 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy,'" said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director. "The path to success is clear. We know that we have the votes to ensure bipartisan repeal. We know that our military is ready and able to implement open service, and that both the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs have asked Congress to act. What we don't know is whether there is sufficient will among the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate to make repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' a priority. For the last seventeen years under this archaic policy, brave gay and lesbian soldiers have waited for the freedom to serve both honorably and honestly. They have waited long enough. It is time for Congress to act."

Log Cabin Republicans have maintained a three-front strategy against 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' lobbying for repeal in Congress, consulting with the Department of Defense, and filing suit in federal court. The case went to trial in July of 2010, and Judge Virginia Phillips ruled on September 9, 2010 that the policy violated the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution.