As reported earlier this week, Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), an Iraq war veteran, announced “Voices of Honor: A Generation Under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,'” a national publicity tour focusing on the damage caused to soldiers and national security by the DADT. The tour is joint effort by Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Servicemembers United and will be headed to several cities over the next several months. From HRC:

“This tour focuses on the voices and stories of the qualified, patriotic gay and lesbian service members who are forced out of the U.S. Armed Services simply because of who they are,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.  “Poll after poll continues to show the vast majority of Americans, including the majority of active members of the Armed Services, support the right of gay and lesbian service members to serve openly and honestly.  We must repeal this discriminatory policy and ensure that our military can recruit and retain the best and the brightest troops regardless of their sexual orientation.”
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“‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ clearly isn’t working for our military, and it hurts national security and military readiness at a time when America is fighting in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA).  “My time in Iraq taught me that our military needs the best and the brightest who are willing to serve- and that means all Americans, regardless of their orientation.  Discharging brave and talented service members from our armed forces is contrary to the values that our military fights for and that our nation holds dear.”

Clips from the announcement below:

To find out more about the tour visit the Voices of Honor website.

As a part of the multi-pronged effort to overturn DADT, Rep. Murphy has also launched his own site, LetThemServe.com. Be sure to sign the petition there.

As of midnight last night, gay marriages performed in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa, and for a brief time in California, will be legally recognized in the District of Columbia.

Gay activists hailed the development as an historic landmark for same-sex couples throughout the country and noted that it opens the way for the Council to pass a separate law later this year allowing same-sex marriages to be performed in the District.

“I think there’s tremendous significance and opportunity in Americans seeing legally married gay couples treated with respect in our nation’s capital,” said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom To Marry, a national same-sex marriage advocacy group.

The recognition entitles gay couples to all the same legal rights extended to straight couples, including inheritance, and spousal immunity benefits.

And Maryland may soon follow. Governor Martin O’Malley on a radio program yesterday said he was open to having his state recognize gay marriage as well.

At a meeting with the Catholic media prior to his trip to Italy and audience with Pope Benedict XVI , Obama spoke of the difficulty he is having reconciling his faith with LGBT issues:

“For the gay and lesbian community in this country, I think it’s clear that they feel victimized in fairly powerful ways and they’re often hurt by not just certain teachings of the Catholic Church, but the Christian faith generally. And as a Christian, I’m constantly wrestling with my faith and my solicitude and regard and concern for gays and lesbians.”

For many Catholics and people of faith there is no “wrestling” or struggle. No inner turmoil. Gays are either to repent and abstain from their “lifestyle” or burn for all eternity.

Sure, many will accuse Obama of being two-faced, or criticize him for playing to both sides of the issue. But hopefully some will appreciate his honesty about the struggle. I suspect we would be a lot farther along in the gay civil rights movement if more individuals, more people of faith, also carried that struggle in their heart.

… So it’s perfectly okay to mine for uranium near the Grand Canyon as the earth has already survived most of that time without environmental laws. Ahem. Really? So without further ado, meet Republican state senator Sylvia Allen of Snowflake, Arizona — emphasis on the flake, I think.

And the remark was so offhanded, as if Allen were describing the way the sun comes up every morning… twice. Perhaps she and Sherri Shepard should form a club.