Barbara Lee Hails House Passage of Bill to End of Don't Ask Don't Tell
For Immediate Release
December 15, 2010
Contact: Nicole Y. Williams
(202) 225-2661
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) joined a majority of her House colleagues in voting to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," a controversial policy barring openly gay men and lesbians from serving in the military. As Vice Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus and an original co-sponsor of legislation to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" this is the second time Congresswoman Lee has voted to repeal the discriminatory policy. This is the first time the measure has been presented before the House as a stand alone bill. The measure passed the House by a vote of 250 to 175.
“For far too long members of the LGBT community have been marginalized in our military forces,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “The ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy has unfairly denied fundamental civil liberties to highly qualified individuals who wish to serve our country. This is unacceptable.
“Discrimination is un-American. Now is the time to end it in the military. I applaud my colleagues for supporting this amendment and I encourage the Senate to act swiftly to pass this measure”
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