"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in Richmond

Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers United Bring National Tour to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to Richmond

HRC, SU, alongside lesbian, gay, and straight service members, to hold public forum at Virginia Holocaust Museum

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), in partnership with Servicemembers United, will visit Richmond, VA on Tuesday April 20 as part of “Voices of Honor: A Generation Under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’” The national tour highlights the discriminatory law that hurts military readiness and national security while putting American soldiers fighting overseas at risk. The events will include a documentary screening and a public forum with lesbian, gay and straight veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, alongside average Americans fighting for repeal of DADT.

HRC dispatched field staff to six states – Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Virginia and West Virginia, where congressional support for repeal is critical. The organization is building off the grassroots efforts of Servicemembers United to continue growing a network of supporters to repeal DADT. To learn more visit: www.hrc.org/RepealDADT.

Military leaders, including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, recognize that DADT is a failed law and support its repeal. Former Vice President and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney also recently came out for repeal by stating, “When the chiefs come forward and say, ‘We think we can do it,’ then it strikes me as it’s time to reconsider the policy, and I think Adm. Mullen said that.”

Rep. Murphy, an Iraq War veteran and a former paratrooper in the U.S. Army's elite 82nd Airborne Division, is the lead sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1283), the House bill to repeal the DADT law. Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is the lead sponsor of similar legislation in the Senate. More than 13,500 Americans have been denied the ability to serve – including more than 800 specialists with vital skills like Arabic linguists.

RICHMOND, VA DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AND PUBLIC FORUM DETAILS:

WHAT: Screening of “Ask Not,” a PBS documentary on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and Public Forum

WHEN: Tuesday April 20, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. local time

WHERE: Virginia Holocaust Museum, 2000 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA

WHO: Discussion to feature remarks from:

-- Major General Dennis Laich, a straight ally and veteran of the Army Reserve with a distinguished 35-year career, AUS Laich spent 14 years in command positions;
-- Larry Baxley, a Virginia native and former Navy Officer who opted not to re-enlist because of DADT
-- U.S. Army Specialist Jarrod Chlapowski, who opted to not re-enlist because of DADT and is a public policy advocate at the Human Rights Campaign;

VETERAN PROFILES: http://www.hrc.org/sites/repealdadt/voh.asp

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Servicemembers United, a non-profit and non-partisan organization, is the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans and their allies. Based in Washington, DC, Servicemembers United actively engages in education, advocacy, and lobbying on issues affecting the gay military, veteran, and defense community.