Obama: DADT to keep a cohesive military unit?

Today, the Gay and Lesbian Issues Examiner reported on Rachel Maddow’s fiery remarks about President Obama’s alleged hypocrisy on GLBT support.

Maddow quoted Obama on his claim that keeping Don’t Ask Don’t Tell “protected military unit cohesion.”

Despite his lack of initiative on overturning this in general, I’d like to point out that this excuse of protecting unit cohesion is no longer valid, not that it ever was.

Andy Stoll, executive director of the Fort Collins’ Lambda Community Center, compared this instance to when they began allowing women into the military.

“It’s the idea that when you’re in battle you’re going to have the distraction of having someone you’re attracted to in the field,” he said.

I’ve covered this before, but reasonably so. Andy and I held the same belief that honestly, people assume that when gay people are in a unit, they think that these individuals are going to be constantly hitting on the other men.

“We are just like everyone else,” said Andy. “We have the ability to control ourselves and to behave in a way that is professional and cohesive to the unit.”

In fact, Andy added that DADT does more detrmiment because there are soldiers out there who will never be able to truly bond with the other soldiers, because “they have this looming fear of whether they are going to be outed or not.”

This issue is moot. WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS. Case in point.

Here is Maddow’s segment:

Congress Considers Equal Immigration

This week, Immigration Equality launched a campaign that they call the biggest in it’s history: congress is to “convene the first-ever hearings on binational couples.” On June 3, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a proposal, called the Reuniting American Families Act, that denotes ending discrimination against binational couples, allowing Americans to sponsor their same-gender partners for US residency.

At the hearing, a Pacifica woman, Shirley Tan, testified to her threat of deportation and being separated from her partner of 23 years, Jay Mercado, and their two children. Tan originally fled the Philippines and applied for political asylum in 1995, after being physically attacked by a man who had killed her mother and sister.

Mercado is a naturalized citizen, but due to the Defense of Marriage Act, Mercado is not able to sponsor Tan in the United States. Fortunately, California senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer were able to to delay her deportation by two weeks while her case was reviewed.

In this case the deportation was blocked, but according to a 2000 survey by Immigration Equality, about 37,000 same-gender couples face this threat every day.

The Reuniting American Families Act is currently co-sponsored by 21 Senators and has 105 co-sponsors in the House.

If you’re local, call Udall and Bennet to get them on this issue.

PROPOSITION 8 UPHELD

Gay City News and the Gay & Lesbian Examiner of the Examiner.com just broke the news that Proposition 8 is to be upheld by a 6-1 vote, and has not been ruled unconstitutional. Over 106 cities in the United States planned on participating in celebrating or protesting what has been called “Decision Day,” in which people will be marching in the name of equal rights.

Despite the ruling, the 18,000 marriages that had been performed before November 2008 are still valid, and therefore not annulled.

The Examiner reported that there is a large police presence around the area of the California Supreme Courthouse due to an angry mob which has remained peaceful, though loud. After the ruling, 150 protesters were arrested after blocking intersections due to failure to follow police orders and “not using the crosswalk,” according to KTVU, San Francisco.

Now is the time more than ever to begin to mobilize for equal civil rights. Solidarity will be what will drive us through. At 3:00 PM today, protestors in Denver gathered at the sidewalk along the north side of Colfax between 14th and 15th streets in front of the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building. Updates will come as the day goes on..