Cheers and jeers for lawmakers

Elections must be coming. The state’s political leaders are speaking out, for and against LGBT issues, courting votes and ostracizing constituents.

Recently, state and U.S. representatives have been making news with discussions on the repeal efforts for the Defense of Marriage Act and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” initiating inquiries into Navy hazing in Bahrain that prompted a sailor to out himself and visions of a “homosexual agenda” in a resolution that would raise awareness for domestic violence.

Here’s a quick summary of the highlights:

This week, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-8th Dist.) said he expects the House to hold a subcommittee hearing on the bill to repeal the military ban on openly gay and lesbian servicemembers in winter or spring, which would include members of the Pentagon. Murphy also said the number of cosponsors of the bill is now at 173 — more than the bill has seen to date.

Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak (D-7th Dist.) sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy Raymond Mabus requesting information on the investigation of the assault and battery of a sailor who eventually outed himself to gain discharge under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” According to reports, Petty Officer Joseph Rocha was beaten, hog-tied, pushed into a dog kennel filled with feces, criticized because he wouldn’t have sex with prostitutes and repeatedly asked if he was gay — a violation of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In his letter, Sestak also asked for information on the Navy’s internal investigation, which uncovered dozens of examples of hazing and sexual harassment against multiple sailors between 2005-06, and the promotion of the head of Rocha’s unit despite documentation of the abuse.

Sestak, who is challenging Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary, also sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits marriage to one man and one woman at the federal level.

Last week, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-12th Dist.) opposed the adoption of a noncontroversial resolution that would have acknowledged October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Metcalfe’s reasoning? He said he saw a “homosexual agenda” in the resolution, specifically in that it mentioned male rape statistics alongside female rape statistics. The resolution doesn’t mention “gay,” “lesbian,” “sexual minority” or any other reference to the LGBT community, and had been passed unanimously in the past two years.

Interestingly, Metcalfe wouldn’t return PGN’s calls for a comment.

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