St. Louis, Missourri has just joined many other cities
calling for repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell"
discriminatory policies of the U.S. Armed forces.
Only California's state legislature has passed a
statewide resolution calling for repeal of the policy.
I'm not sure what impact a Minneapolis resolution
would have on congresss as our Rep. in the House is
already a cosponsor of the Military Readiness
Enhancement Act which would repeal the ban but it
might be useful for the city to give it's symoblic
support nonetheless as it would add weight to the list
of cities(and now states) around the country passing
such resolutions.
One thing that does happen in city's like Minneapolis
where we have a larger number of same sex couples(and
percentage of the population) is the damage to
communities like ours when some of OUR military
families not only don't have access to the official
support structures but must censor their
communitications with their partners and loved ones
who are so far away in Iraq, Afghanistan, or
elsehwere.
The impact on same sex partners and their children can
be very heavy just as it is for any military family
and all the heavier due to the censorship of
communication not only with their loved one but also
with those around them.
It's difficult to seek out help or support when
seeking out help or support can bring harm to your
partner through discharge under "don't ask, don't
tell". It's a different spin on the old activist
saying "silence = death" as such individuals are even
denied support and expected to remain silent upon
their partners death in service to the country.
The Australian Defense Forces just announced this week
that they are providing same sex domestic partners of
personel all the same priviledges and benefits that
spouses of personnel are entitled to.
Something that seems far off here.
David Strand
Loring Park
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