christian grantham
Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD.
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January 07, 2005

Today's Washington Post says it all. The United States Armed Services would rather endure troop shortages than to join its allies and allow gays and lesbians to serve their country. The tiring argument of troop cohesion as an excuse for excluding gay service members defies the fact that American soldiers are doing an amazing job within a "coalition of the willing" that includes gays from other countries.

Under current policy, a reservist is not to serve on active duty for more than 24 months, although those months can be split among multiple deployments that occur over a period of years.

The change under consideration, the Army official said, would essentially make a reservist eligible for an unlimited number of call-ups but stipulate that no single mobilization would last more than 24 consecutive months. The official said the Army would attempt to use such expanded authority sparingly to avoid alienating soldiers.
[Reservists May Face Longer Tours of Duty - Washington Post - 01-07-05]

In Response, the Human Rights Campaign reiterated their call for a repeal to the Clinton-era "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. My only question is where is the language of the proposed repeal, and who have they asked to push for the repeal? If a call for a repeal is left at a press release to avoid embarrassing a lack of conviction among Democrats, how can this be considered lobbying?

The Human Rights Campaign today renewed its call to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, in light of a report in today's Washington Post stating that Army officials are considering changing Pentagon policy to allow for longer and more frequent call-ups of some reservists to meet the demands of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Any policy that keeps patriotic Americans from serving during wartime is bad for the nation," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is deeply hurtful to gay and lesbian service members and their families, and is costing the nation valuable service members."
[HRC RENEWS CALL FOR REPEAL OF ‘DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,’ AS PENTAGON PONDERS TROOP SHORTAGE - HRC - 01-07-05]

also read my March 31, 2004 post "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Threatens National Security