Murphy drafts end of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’

Unlike in 1993, public opinion favors allowing gays to serve openly

Bucks County Congressman Patrick Murphy introduced a bill that would do away with the military’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy. Congress is expected to vote this week on the White House-backed proposal to repeal the law that bans gay people from serving openly in the military.

Military leaders had been reluctant to repeal the ban, but a compromise was struck. It will be up to the Pentagon to decide when to implement the change in policy after military leaders finish studying the its impact.

Congressman Murphy is an Iraqi War Veteran who has championed the rights of gays in the military.

“It is clear that when our military is stretched so thin, like right now when we’re fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, we need every able bodied trooper.”

Murphy, a Democrat, is facing a re-match this fall with the Republican congressman he ousted from office four years ago.

Recently, polls have shifted on the issue of gays in the military. A majority of those surveyed now approve repealing the ban.