Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach appeared on Rachel Maddow this evening to discuss what the past month has been like since coming out on the show. Fehrenbach will likely be discharged from the Air Force after 18 years of loyal and heroic service because of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, unless President Obama or Congress intervenes. Watch:

Bay Area photographer Bill Wilson spoke briefly with Michelle Obama at an event he covered in San Francisco yesterday, kicking off the United We Serve program. Wilson, who is gay and recently married to his partner of 22 years by Mayor Gavin Newsom, told the First Lady we need to get rid of DOMA. The exchange via The Petrelis Files below:

Bill Wilson: My husband and I have been together 23 years. We need to get rid of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Michelle Obama: I agree.

Bill Wilson: We need it done now.

Michelle Obama: It will be.

Bill Wilson: I really want to be able to support him.

Michelle Obama: As well you should!

Bill Wilson: We really do want him to succeed.

Michelle Obama: I’ll tell him.

(At this point she leaned over to give me a hug.)

As she stepped away I said, “We were married by the Mayor last year.”

Michelle Obama: Give your husband a hug from me.

I met Bill recently covering the GLAAD Media Awards and am glad he was able to speak to Michelle Obama on behalf of the gay community. Is it possible we have a “fierce advocate” in the White House after all?

The military newspaper Stars and Stripes confirmed in an article yesterday that LGBT groups have been active in delaying action on DADT in favor of other legislative priorities.

“An official with the House Democratic leadership said the House is committed to repealing ‘don’t ask’ but has agreed with civil rights groups to put new hate crime legislation and a workplace nondiscrimination bill on the legislative calendar before taking up the military issue.”

This adds weight to previous claims that LGBT groups, particularly HRC, lobbied to delay any action on DADT, as reported by Daily Beast reporter Jason Bellini and later confirmed by Dr. Aaron Belkin, Director of the Palm Center.

HRC and Joe Solmonese have vehemently denied the allegations, but may now be losing donors because of it.

Seventy-seven members of Congress, 76 Democrats and 1 Republican, sent a letter to the White House today asking for the President to suspend current Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell investigations and discharges by presidential moratorium, which would change the policy’s implementation within the Department of Defense, as opposed to an Executive Order. Excerpts from the office of Congressman Alcee L. Hastings:

… Although we are confident that you will remain true to your campaign promise to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, our LGBT service members and our country’s national security will continue to suffer if initial action is delayed until 2010 or 2011. We urge you to exercise the maximum discretion legally possible in administering Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell until Congress repeals the law. To this end, we ask that you direct the Armed Services not to initiate any investigation of service personnel to determine their sexual orientation, and that you instruct them to disregard third party accusations that do not allege violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  That is, we request that you impose that no one is asked and that you ignore, as the law requires, third parties who tell. Under your leadership, Congress must then repeal and replace Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell with a policy of inclusion and non-discrimination. This bilateral strategy would allow our openly gay and lesbian service members to continue serving our country and demonstrate our nation’s lasting commitment to justice and equality for all.

…

The American people and service members of the Armed Forces overwhelmingly support the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. According to a national Gallup poll conducted in May 2009, 69% of Americans, including 58% of Republicans, favor allowing openly gay men and lesbian women to serve in the military. Furthermore, a 2006 poll of 545 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan by Zogby International and the Michael D. Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, revealed that 73% are personally comfortable with gay men and lesbian women. John Shalikashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Clinton administration, and more than 100 retired admirals and generals support this repeal, in addition to the Human Rights Campaign, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, and Knights Out, an organization of LGBT West Point alumni cofounded by First Lieutenant Choi.

Mr. President, we cannot afford to lose any more of our dedicated and talented service members to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. On behalf of First Lieutenant Choi, Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach, and the more than 12,500 gay and lesbian service members who have been discharged since Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was implemented in 1994, we stand ready to assist you in repealing this dishonorable and debilitating law as soon as possible, and in restoring justice and equality in our Armed Forces.

The lone Republican who signed the letter was Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and should be applauded. I am disappointed however that local representatives Jackie Speier and House leader Nancy Pelosi failed to sign, but at least the always reliable Barbara Lee of Berkeley did not disappoint. A complete list by rank below:

If your representative does not appear on the list above, please contact them and ask them why they failed to sign the letter and urge them to support the repeal of DADT. I’ll be contacting Rep. Jackie Speier today.