My Obama Wishlist (part 1 of 6)

End “don’t ask, don’t tell” immediately

Proposition 8’s passage in California this November, which affirmed voters’ desire for a gay marriage ban, was a huge setback for the gay rights movement. A popular Obama administration countering with a repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which would effectively end the ban on gays openly serving in the military, would be a meaningful display of support for equal rights.

Obama has pledged to take on “don’t ask, don’t tell” as soon as he secures the military’s support. But the Obama team has in recent months sent mixed signals regarding when it might back efforts to push a repeal of the law through Congress. Anonymous sources from the transition team initially indicated that that might not be until 2010; another anonymous source refuted that claim, saying that the president-elect was simply waiting for the full national security team to be in place. In any case, Obama should immediately upon taking office end “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Now couldn’t be a better time to bolster the gay rights movement.

Excerpt from the Winter 2008 Brown Contemporary article "Dear Obama, Don't Forget About..."