by KYW's Kim Glovas
A five week long series of events is underway to galvanize support and awareness of the new law proposed by congressman Patrick Murphy of Bucks County, Pa.
The proposed legislation would overturn the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" law which discharges gays and lesbians from the military because of their sexual orientation.
Congressman Murphy was joined on Independence Mall by Service Members United which is a gay and straight all veterans group, and by the Human Rights Campaign.
Jarrod Chlapowski is a former Army linguist who left the service because of the discrimination of "Don't Ask Don't Tell."
"The entire time I served, I was openly gay and my honesty and integrity had zero negative effect on unit cohesion, combat readiness, and troop morale. Though I was more open than Alex Nicholson, I was not discharged for being gay while Alex was, which speaks to the arbitrary enforcement of 'Don't Ask Don't tell.'"
Alex Nicholson was a linguist fluent in five languages, including Arabic, who was outed by someone in his unit and discharged. Nicholson says he would rejoin the Army in a heart beat if "Don't Ask Don't Tell" was repealed.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
