HRC President Joe Solmonese issued the following statement
in response to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace's latest
clarifying statement on his feelings about homosexuality and the
military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
Said Solmonese: "President Bush and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
should follow the lead of Republican Senator John Warner and publicly
repudiate Pace's statements."
Warner, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services
Committee, issued a statement saying: "I respectfully, but strongly
disagree with the chairman's view that homosexuality is immoral."
Solmonese continued: "Chairman Pace should apologize immediately to the
tens of thousands of gay and lesbian service members who are making huge
sacrifices and risking their lives every day to protect our country. He
has flatly refused to do so.
"What is truly immoral is maligning these service members with his
bigoted statements.
"The chairman also is making matters worse by misrepresenting the failed military policy. He argues that the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy
allows individuals to serve the nation and that it does not make a moral
judgment. He doesn't tell the truth on either account. What the chairman
fails to admit in his latest statement is that the current policy
requires people to hide, misrepresent and deny their basic identities.
It also criminalizes gay relationships and is a constant source of
stress and fear for our gay and lesbian troops."
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