In the Miami Hereald, retired Petty Officer First Class Keith Meinhold makes the case for repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’:

Don’t you think it’s time for those who defend our freedoms to finally be able to exercise them? I do. And after 16 years during which thousands of careers and families have been destroyed, and the strength and readiness of our military compromised, there is a burgeoning consensus that the time has come to end the discriminatory “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, which prohibits gays, lesbians and bisexuals from openly serving in our armed forces.

I served as an aircrew instructor aboard the Navy’s P-3C Orion aircraft and flew combat missions throughout the Pacific and Indian oceans and the Persian Gulf. Despite being rated in the top 10 percent of all Navy instructors, I was kicked out of the Navy after “coming out” on a national news broadcast as part of an effort to stop a witch hunt against other gay, lesbian and bisexual service members.

Fortunately, my discharge occurred shortly before “don’t ask, don’t tell” became law, and a federal court reinstated me, allowing me to serve for another four years openly gay. It was the most rewarding four years of my career. My crew flew combat missions over the Persian Gulf and was recognized by the Navy as the most combat effective in the Pacific Fleet. I was also awarded the Navy Achievement Medal. I am the first openly gay man to retire from active duty with full military honors. I know firsthand that openly gay service members contribute positively to the success of the mission.

Read more of Petty Officer Meinhold’s column in the Miami Herald.

Posted: August 24th, 2009 under GOP Heroes, In Congress.
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Maine Republican Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe have backed the pro-business Employee Non-Discrimination Act (S1584), which would protect employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Senator Snowe commented on the historic importance of the legislation: “This legislation is long overdue. We cannot continue to allow two standards of rights in the workplace, based on sexual orientation or identity. Ensuring equality for all Americans is the least we can do in living up to the standards of inclusion that this nation is built upon. There is no place for discriminating against any of our citizens for whatever reason and I commend my colleagues for their willingness to champion equal rights for every American.”

Senator Collins was quick to point out that states and companies across the country have already enacted workplace protections. “Similar to the current law in several states, including Maine, and the policies of many Fortune 500 companies, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act would close an important gap in federal civil rights laws by making it illegal to discriminate in employment based on sexual orientation. Our legislation affirms the principle that individuals should be judged on their skills and abilities, and not by who they are.”

Much of corporate America has already embraced LGBT protections, providing these protections at the very minimum, in order to take full advantage of the most talented employees; as of 2009, 423 (85%) of the Fortune 500 companies extend protections based on sexual orientation, and 176 (35%) extend protections based on gender identity, according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI). However, at many companies, high-performing LGBT employees can be and are still openly discriminated against.

Posted: August 6th, 2009 under GOP Progress, In Congress.
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An excerpt from Log Cabin ally, former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman’s column in the Ripon Forum:

“Even long honeymoons come to an end. Now six months into his term as President, Barack Obama’s long-enjoyed popularity is starting to show signs of wear.  Recent polls show his approval rating slowly declining, and dipping below 50% for the first time in his presidency on July 24th. The drop is particularly pronounced among unaffiliated voters, with whom Obama now has only a 37% approval rating. This trend line raises several questions: what has Obama done to precipitate this decline? And what opportunity does that open for Republicans? Obama’s declining popularity is not unexpected.  No one can maintain the kind of high expectations that accompanied his inauguration.  But the decline is also reflective of his abandonment of several key campaign promises.”

“Further, despite his promises of bipartisanship, he has shown a willingness to ram through critical pieces of legislation on nearly straight party-line votes.  I was discouraged to read recently that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senior Advisor David Axelrod both said that passing the health care reform bill on a strictly partisan basis in the next several weeks was more important than taking the time to build a bipartisan solution.”  

“Finally, if the Republican Party is to court the center-right where the majority of Americans find themselves, we have to reexamine the issues on which we focus.  With the future of health care hanging in the balance, Republicans in the Senate the other week decided to focus on a concealed weapons law.   Instead of focusing on issues that appeal to a minority of voters, we should focus on the core conservative principles of limited government that have served our Party well and made our country great. We need to earn back the voter’s trust, and that takes positive actions as well as thoughtful criticism.”

Read more of Governor Whitman’s column in the Ripon Forum.

Posted: August 4th, 2009 under GOP Progress.
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Virginia Republicans have just endorsed openly gay candidate Danny Smith for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates! Smith, a traditional Republican, intends to focus on improving education, solving transportation problems, and attracting jobs to Northern Virginia. Smith supports full equality for gay Americans, including overturning VA’s Marshall-Newman Amendment and thus enacting marriage equality in VA. He is fully endorsed by the Virginia GOP, who say that his sexual orientation is a non-issue, as well as by other Republican candidates, including Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell. Smith’s nomination demonstrates to the nation the increasing inclusiveness of the Republican Party, and we count on him to represent us well. Best of luck, Danny!

Posted: August 3rd, 2009 under Elections, In the States.
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