It has been a long year for the Human Rights Campaign and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” My DADT year started in sunny southern Florida successfully working to secure the support of Senator Bill Nelson. As my HRC colleagues worked in their DADT priority states, I worked my way through Virginia and finally to my last DADT state, Maine, where I joined two additional HRC staffers already on the ground. The HRC team has been all over the country this year for DADT, from as far west as Alaska, down south to Florida and Arkansas, and up to Massachusetts and Maine.
With the end of the 111th Congress just around the corner, I am doing everything in my power to help Mainers speak out one last time for repeal this year. We must make repeal a reality. With so much on the line, the Senate must act this year! We have worked so hard over the past 17 years and have come too close to DADT repeal to allow our window of opportunity to close. In order to make repeal a reality, HRC field staff in Maine are working around the clock to ensure their voices are heard. It is vital that Senators Snowe and Collins both understand that the majority of Mainers, like our military men and women and their families, are ready to repeal DADT now.
As we headed out to our afternoon Stop and Dial in Portland, we ran into two surfers on their way out to catch some afternoon waves in below freezing weather! Of course, we asked them to dial for repeal and got to snap a quick photo. As a native Californian, I could not believe they were heading out to surf in that weather; I am just happy we got them to dial first. Our afternoon was very productive and cold, logging over 50 calls into the offices of both Senators Collins and Snowe. Even though our fingers were frozen, we kept on dialing knowing our opportunity to repeal is at hand.
HRC is hosting nightly phonebanks and daily Stop and Dial events statewide to ensure Senators Snowe and Collins know where we stand.
If you are a family member of a veteran or active duty service member from Maine, please call the offices of Senators Snowe and Collins today by dialing the Capitol swithboard at 202-224-3121. Remind them how important it is to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this year.
To get involved in our DADT efforts in Maine, please call David Turley at 202-330-3790 or email me at David.Turley@hrc.org Time is short. We need your help today.
