In a press conference today to relaunch efforts to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law, Rep. Patrick Murphy (pictured) and a coalition of gay rights groups announced plans for a multi-city speaking tour to help convince lawmakers and voters that dropping the ban won't hurt military morale.
The tour, dubbed "Voices of Honor," will include town hall forums, news conferences, private meetings with civic leaders and events with veterans groups. Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, said along with homosexual troops forced out of the services, the tour will include a number of straight servicemembers and veterans who believe the rules needlessly boot qualified people from the ranks.
VoteVets.org has already had a similar campaign in the past, with several straight veterans speaking out against the ban on homosexuals serving openly. Already, stops for the new tour are scheduled in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Virgina, North Carolina, Florida, Missouri and Arizona. The speeches will conicide with Murphy's own push on Capitol Hill to repeal the law.
"Opponents say this would be detrimental to unit cohesion and morale," he said at the press conference. "That's an insult to me and all those who have served in uniform ... All we cared about was finishing our mission, serving with honor and coming home alive."
Murphy said the repeal effort has picked up momentum, with several new co-sponsors in the last week and numerous other agreements of support he's secured behind closed doors.
Officials with the Center for Military Readiness dispute that, arguing that Murphy still doesn't have the votes in the House or Senate to overturn the law and calling the new campaign "window dressing" that doesn't demonstrate any momentum for their cause.
Rev. Billy Baugham, executive director of the International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain Endorsers, said his group will launch their own counter campaign this month to convince lawmakers not to let homosexuals serve openly, reviving several of the arguments from the original "don't ask" debates in 1993.
But Nicholson said public attitudes have changed dramatically since then, and he's confident the tour will sway even more folks.
"While it's one thing for me to stand here and say the professional men and women of today's military don't have a problem working alongside openly gay troops, it's an entirely different thing to hear from straight troops -- people like Congressman Murphy -- stand up and say first-hand that they'll be able to do their jobs just fine," he said.
[PHOTO: Stars and Stripes]
