In just a couple of minutes, Rep. [tag]Marty Meehan[/tag] (D-Mass.) is going to hold a press conference to unveil legislation to repeal the military’s “[tag]Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell[/tag]” ban on gay soldiers in the military.
The first U.S. Marine seriously wounded in Iraq, Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, lost his leg when he stepped on a land mine, but today he and his prosthetic leg will march right into one of the most contentious battles in American politics.
Alva will stand with Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., as a bipartisan group of Congress members introduces legislation to overturn the ban on openly gay and lesbian troops serving in the military.
Alva says that losing his leg forced him out of the closet. “It made me realize everything that I had to actually speak up for,” Alva said to ABC News in an exclusive TV interview, “basically the rights and privileges of what I, as an individual, have earned in this country.”
I’m looking forward to hearing how many conservatives step up to tell Marine Sgt. Alva that he had no business joining the U.S. military. That somehow, his sacrifice was in vain because he shouldn’t have been allowed to wear a uniform.
Now, we’ve covered this on more than a few occasions lately, so I won’t rehash the same arguments again, but there’s one angle worth considering in more detail: bipartisan support.
USA Today reports:
The measure had 122 co-sponsors last year but died in the Republican-controlled Congress. Now that Democrats are in charge, Meehan plans to hold hearings as early as April. He says the bill has more than 100 original co-sponsors and seven freshmen.
Three Republicans have signed on, including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida. She says her husband, Dexter, was cared for by a lesbian nurse when he was injured during combat in Vietnam.
It’s funny how personal experiences change Republicans, isn’t it? Dick Cheney is to the right of Attila the Hun, but because his daughter is a lesbian, he’s fairly progressive on gay issues. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is reliably conservative, but because her husband had a lesbian nurse during Vietnam, she’s willing to let gays serve in the military.
Given this, it seems the key to progress in Washington is getting Republicans some first-hand understanding of today’s policy debates. If GOP lawmakers were asked to live on the minimum wage, they might support an increase. If they had to go without health insurance, maybe they’d consider universal coverage. If they served in the military, perhaps they’d be less likely to cut veterans’ health care.
Nevertheless, I’m cautiously optimistic that Meehan’s proposal might garner serious consideration. Polls of servicemen and women, as well as civilians, show waning opposition to gays serving in the military. That, coupled by the need for volunteers during the war, should at least give the bill a shot.
And on a related note, I half-expected cries of outrage from the right to coincide with Meehan’s announcement, but even conservatives seem largely unfazed by the news that more than 100 House members are serious about repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
I’m sure their knee-jerk demagoguery will kick in sooner or later, but for the time being, it’s refreshing.