President Obama this week put one of the final nails in the coffin of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. ”
Surrounded by lawmakers, gay-rights advocates and military members, the president signed the bill Wednesday that repealed the 17-year-old law that prevents openly gay servicemembers.
“We are not a nation that says don’t ask, don’t tell,” the president said at the signing ceremony. “We are a nation that says out of many we are one. We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot. We are a nation that believes that all men and women are created equal. Those are the ideals that our nation has fought for. Those are the ideals that we uphold today.”
After he added his signature to the measure, Obama told the crowd, “This is done,” which spurred chants of “USA” from the audience of about 500.
Obama recognized the cadre of supporters on stage with him during the signing, and the crowd gave the longest and most rousing standing ovation to Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th Dist.), the lead sponsor of the House version of the repeal bill.
Murphy told PGN Wednesday he had an “overwhelming feeling of pride” during the ceremony.
“Today is a great day for our country, for our national security and for our American values,” Murphy said.
Although the bill has been signed into law, implementation won’t be immediate.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this week that the Department of Defense will “immediately proceed with the planning necessary to carry out this change carefully and methodically, but purposefully.”
The department will be tasked with revising its policies and regulations to fall in line with the new law, a process expected to take several months. After that time, Obama, Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen will need to sign off on the plan, and full repeal will then go into effect after 60 days.
Gates stressed this week that gay and lesbian servicemembers must be cognizant that until the repeal is fully implemented, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is still technically in place.
“Successful implementation will depend upon strong leadership, a clear message and proactive education throughout the force,” Gates said. “With a continued and sustained commitment to core values of leadership, professionalism and respect for all, I am convinced that the U.S. military can successfully accommodate and implement this change, as it has others in history.”
Obama’s historic signing on Wednesday came after another historic action, as the Senate, which had already failed to advance the repeal bill twice this fall, voted 65-31 to approve the measure. The House approved the bill last week, 250-175.
Both Pennsylvania Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey voted to lift the ban, along with all Democrats — except for West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who opposed repeal but was absent from the session — and eight Republicans who broke ranks with their party.
Earlier on Saturday, the Senate took a 63-33 cloture vote that allowed the measure to proceed and overcome a Republican filibuster.
Chances for repeal had looked grim earlier this month when the Senate cloture vote on a defense-authorization measure, to which the repeal bill was attached, failed. However, the bill was reintroduced as a stand-alone measure in both the House and Senate — in the form of a small-business measure that the Senate already passed, guaranteeing it could proceed directly to the Senate floor once the House passed it.
Among the 15 Democrats in the House who voted against repeal was Pennsylvania Rep. Mark Critz (12th Dist.), while Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Charlie Dent (15th Dist.) was one of 15 from his party who voted in favor of repeal.
Murphy took over as prime sponsor of the House version of the repeal bill last summer and was able to garner the highest number of cosponsors the bill ever saw.
The Congressman said credit is also due to fellow Pennsylvania Reps. Joe Sestak, Bob Brady, Chaka Fattah and Allyson Schwartz and Sen. Bob Casey.
Murphy was defeated in November’s midterm elections, and the most recent incarnation of the repeal measure served as the last bill he introduced in Congress. Although the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” victory was bittersweet for him, Murphy said his fight to repeal the law was never about politics.
“This was never about me. This was about fighting what is right for our country and our military,” he said. “At the end of the day, if my two little kids grow up in 20 years and can truly be proud of what their daddy fought for, then all of this was worth it.”
While supporters have suggested the repeal fight is his Congressional legacy, Murphy commented: “I’m only 37. I’m not old enough to have a legacy yet.”
Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, applauded Murphy and the other legislators who backed the repeal Wednesday.
He noted that Obama’s final endorsement marked a turning point in the LGBT-rights movement.
“In signing this bill today, President Obama delivered on a defining civil-rights measure for our country and for gay, lesbian and bisexual servicemembers who have been silenced for far too long,” Sarvis said. “Clearly, this is President Obama’s Lyndon Johnson moment in history. A measure of dignity has been restored to thousands of servicemembers on active duty and to over a million gay veterans who served in silence. This historic moment is about those servicemembers and their stories.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].