WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)– In response to the Senate’s historic vote ending the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, Mark Pelavin, Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
The Senate vote ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was long overdue: After 17 years of misguided and discriminatory policy, gay and lesbian members of the armed forces will soon be able to serve their country without hiding a key part of their identity. We hail yesterday’s (Saturday’s) vote, and those members of the House and Senate who were determined to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this year, even when the likelihood of such action seemed slim.
The strong support for repeal reflects the great strides our nation has made since the policy’s inception in 1993 and demonstrates the now-widespread understating that every individual, gay and straight, is created in God’s image and deserving of dignity and respect. We applaud President Obama’s leadership as Commander in Chief, which was so instrumental in achieving this victory, and look forward to his signing this bill into law later this week.
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Preceding provided by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism