News Archive
First Circuit to Hear Oral Arguments on March 7 in “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Case
BOSTON, MA – The federal First Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on March 7 in Cook v. Gates (formerly Cook v. Rumsfeld), a constitutional challenge to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. The lawsuit, originally filed in December 2004 on behalf of veterans dismissed under the law, seeks the plaintiffs’ re-instatement in the armed forces and the end of the ban on open service. The plaintiffs are represented by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. ...Read More
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen Says Congress Should Re-Visit “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
WASHINGTON, DC – In an interview on Tuesday evening with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen indicated that Congressional leaders should re-visit the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service personnel. “It’s time to start thinking about it and starting to discuss it,” Cohen said in an interview regarding a January 2 op-ed by retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili. “I think what we're hearing from within the military is what we're hearing from within society, that we're becoming a much more open, tolerant society for diverse opinions and orientation,” Cohen said, referring to the ban as “a policy of discrimination.” ...Read More
Retired Joint Chiefs Chairman Calls for Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
WASHINGTON, DC – In an op-ed published in Tuesday’s New York Times, John M. Shalikashvili, retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says Congress should give “serious reconsideration” to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on openly lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel. Shalikashvili, who supported the ban on open service in 1993, writes that “I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces,” and goes on to say that “Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job." ...Read More
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