In March of 2005, Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass, introduced legislation that would repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on gays, lesbians, and bisexuals serving in the military. The legislation, known as H.R. 1059, is gaining momentum in the House of Representatives.

From EDGE New York City

Republican Sherwood Boehlert of New York and Democrats Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, Julia Carson of Indiana and Michael Doyle of Pennsylvania have joined 110 others in Congress in calling for repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Boehlert is the fifth Republican co-sponsor and McKinney joins nine other members of the House Armed Services Committee who are also co-sponsors of the bill (H.R. 1059). In all, 114 Members of Congress now support the legislation,

Also, a new poll by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press shows that a sizeable majority of Americans do not support the ban.

According to Pew, a majority of Americans across political, geographic and religious lines now favor allowing gays to serve openly. A majority of moderate Republicans (62 percent), liberal Democrats (85 percent), Catholics (67 percent), Protestants (53 percent), those in the Northeast (66 percent) and those in the South (58 percent) support allowing gays to serve openly. The results, Pew reports, "represent significantly broader support for [lifting the ban] than in 1994," when the military's current law was first implemented. Overall, the Pew poll showed "two-to-one" support for repealing the ban.

Posted by Ace

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