July 1, 2004

Goodman Favors End of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

“The military’s policy of not allowing gays to openly serve in the military is bringing us closer to a draft,” said Lee Goodman, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress from the 10th District in Illinois. According to a recent Associated Press report, the military has discharged nearly 10,000 service people just because they are homosexuals. “We have a shortage of troops. We have been keeping reservists longer than we told them we would. At the same time, the military has been firing qualified people who want to serve,” said Goodman. “This is happening because the right-wing of the Republican Party has an anti-gay agenda, and our Congressman, Mark Kirk, is going along with it. It’s high time our government faced up to the fact that being gay does not disqualify a person from military service or any other job. This discriminatory and bigoted policy should end immediately.”

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