A 26-stop tour to repeal the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy begins today in Lincoln, Neb.
The two groups are stopping in several states to gather support for a complete repeal of the Clinton-era policy in the wake of recent regulations that greatly reduce its impact on gays and lesbians in the military. The tour, “Voices of Honor: A Generation Under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” will feature public forums with gay, lesbian and straight veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars along with community members working to for a complete repeal.
There is pending legislation in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to fully repeal the policy, but those involved say that further congressional support is needed. To that end, HRC is working in six states — Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Virginia and West Virginia, to bolster the effort.
To date, more than 13,500 gays and lesbians have been denied the ability to serve, including more than 800 specialists with much needed skills, including Arabic linguists.
For more information on the tour and other repeal efforts, click here.
“Voices of Honor” Tour Dates:
March 29 – Lincoln, NE
March 30 – Indiana University, South Bend, IN
March 31 – Omaha, NE
April 1 - Evansville University, Evansville, IN
April 5 – Orlando, FL
April 6 – Tampa, FL
April 7 – Miami, FL
April 8 – Wheeling, WV
April 8 – Kearney, NE (tentative)
April 8 - Hanover College, Hanover, IN
April 10 – Clarksburg, WV
April 11 – Indianapolis, IN
April 11 – Omaha, NE
April 13 – Jacksonville, FL
April 13 – Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
April 13 – Charlotte, NC (tentative)
April 14 – Pensacola, FL
April 15 – Tallahassee, FL (tentative)
April 14 – Bloomington, IN (tentative)
April 20 – Richmond, VA (tentative)
April 22 – Norfolk, VA
April 24 – West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
April 28 – Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
April 29 – Miami, FL (English/Spanish event)
April 29 – Arlington, VA
*Locations may change. Additional stops expected to be announced soon.