Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota

Moments ago, by a 65-31 vote, the Senate acted to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the policy banning gays from openly serving in the military. The same six GOP senators who broke with their party during the cloture vote earlier also voted for repeal: Sens. Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Scott Brown, Lisa Murkowski, George Voinovich, and Mark Kirk. Republicans — John Ensign and Richard Burr — joined in to help pass the bill.

The bill will now make its way to the President’s desk for signing. The President has vowed to sign the law shortly paving the way for the process to begin rolling back the restrictions next year.

Read more here

Thanks again to everyone that has helped support our Republican allies and particularly to Log Cabin Republicans for all of their hard work!

Minnesota wants to thank everyone for their hard work on bringing DADT to the closest point of repeal to date. Last night the Senate reached a cloture vote 63-33 (more than the required) to bring the measure to its final vote.

The Senate Bill 4023- “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 – Provides for repeal of the current Department of Defense (DOD) policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, to be effective 60 days after the Secretary of Defense has received DOD’s comprehensive review on the implementation of such repeal, and the President, Secretary, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) certify to the congressional defense committees that they have considered the report and proposed plan of action, that DOD has prepared the necessary policies and regulations to exercise the discretion provided by such repeal, and that implementation of such policies and regulations is consistent with the standards of military readiness and effectiveness, unit cohesion, and military recruiting and retention. Provides that, until such time as the above conditions are met, the current policy shall remain in effect”

With the support of Susan Collins (R-ME), relatively newly elect Scott Brown (R-MA), and other bi-partisan members of the senate, we can now set our sights on the final hurdle of the repeal. The final vote must reach 51 votes to pass (House of Representatives passed it with a vote of 250-175) and will swiftly pass to the desk of President Obama who has vowed to sign it as soon as he gets it.

Log Cabin Republicans have taken a very aggressive approach to accomplish what we have thus far including:

* Bringing the main Federal Lawsuit Log Cabin Republicans vs. The United States to trial and getting it heard by the Supreme Court.
* Pressuring the Executive branch and the President to agree to help in the repeal process
* and lobbying Republicans in the House and Senate to sponsor and/or vote for a repeal measure.

After the bill passes and is signed by the President, our fine GLBT men and women, who have been unjustly, discharged will celebrate this victory with the right to change their discharge status and seek the benefits righfully owed to them for the service they so courageously provided to their country!

For additional information on DADT and real-time press releases, please visit LogCabin.org

As Log Cabin Republicans gear up for appeals, Federal judge Virginia Phillips, who on Sept 9 had declared the 17 yr old DADT policy of the armed forces unconstitutional, had all but forced the hand of the US Department of Justice today. Judge Phillips withheld a final decision on an injunction with her ruling Sept 9, giving both sides a chance to review the unconstituionality ruling and provide additional information before imposing an injunction. Today, Oct 12 2010, Judge Phillips issued her worldwide injunction effectively telling the armed forces they can no longer enforce DADT on openly gay personnel. The DOJ has 60 days to review the injunction and file for appeal. 

Read more here

This month, MN LCR is planning our October Membership Meeting. Please come visit with us at Tom Pham’s Wonderous Azian Kitchen. Social Hour 7-8p and Meeting 8-9p. We plan to discuss our endorsed candidate list, discuss the current state of DADT, MN LCR activity within MN, and more.

Hope to see you there! Check out our event at the link above or send a request to info@mnlogcabin.org. Please enter “October Meeting Info” in the subject line so we can respond back with the proper details!

On Saturday, October 2, 2010, 8p.m. MN Log Cabin Republicans will participate for the first time in an original production by The Flower Shop Project. The Flower Shop Project is a local independent theatre company. Since its formation in 2004, it has been determined to create and produce new works of theatre that are “ballsy, smart and fundamentally entertaining”.

This Fall, the FSP is collaborating with Project 515 to produce “515“. This play will work to entertain and educate the audience on the 515 rights automatically assumed under heterosexual marriages, and for which same sex couples can only hope to some day celebrate.

MN Log Cabin will participate in an informative panel question and answer session immediately following the play. We will discuss issues that were brought up in the play and other issues facing Minnesotan families affected by those 515 discriminating inequities every day.  Audience questions and comments are welcome and expected, so please don’t be shy!

Currently scheduled to represent the panel for this session will be MN Senator Scott Dibble, a 515 Representative to be determined, and MN Log Cabin president Mark Knief. We hope to provide viewpoints from all sides and expect this will be a great experience for everyone.

We would be honored to see you there. Feel free to meet up with us after the panel discussion to find out more about MN Log Cabin and how you can help us to reshape Minnesota.

When Do You Come?   Saturday Oct 2, 8 p.m.
The Venue:  Patrick’s Cabaret - 3010 Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55406-1987
How to make a splashing appearance:  Tickets are $12 and can be purchased on their website or by clicking this link => Buy Now! 

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell passes hurdle in the first round of rulings. U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips declared the military’s policy unconstitutional. The hard work and tireless efforts of Log Cabin Republicans is taking shape in some impressive strides.

“As an American, a veteran and an Army reserve officer, I am proud the court ruled that the arcane ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ statute violates the Constitution,” said R.Clarke Cooper, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans & Liberty Education Fund. “Today, the ruling is not just a win for Log Cabin Republican service members, but all American service members.”

The case was filed by the Log Cabin Republicans, the largest political organization for gays in the GOP, in 2004.
Read More here

(Washington, DC) – Earlier this week, the White House and legislative leadership agreed on a plan for repealing the failed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, which would allow for a path for repeal while guaranteeing the ability of the Pentagon to complete its study on how such repeal will affect the Armed Forces and a regime for implementation.

R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans commented that “It is high time that the White House put some political muscle behind the effort to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ All parties agree that there is a need for a thorough process to properly implement the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and this compromise will allow the Pentagon study to continue, which is an important component to securing the votes needed for repealing this arcane law.”

While the top leadership at the Pentagon has indicated that it favors a repeal of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, it is clear that legislators are hinging their decision upon the military’s own analysis of the impact of the repeal, necessitating that the Pentagon study be completed.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a member of on the Senate Armed Services Committee who is the first Republican Senator to publicly favor repeal of the policy, supports the compromise, commenting that: “Society has changed a great deal since President Clinton signed the current law, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ back in 1993.   I agree with Admiral Michael Mullen, our nation’s highest ranking military official, that this law should be changed, but we should do so with care, taking into account the demands on our military forces, the challenges of instituting major policy changes during wartime, and the input provided by military leaders and personnel.  The compromise proposal announced this week is contingent upon the results of a thorough review currently being conducted by the Pentagon, and would not go into effect until the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense, and the President certify that the new policy would not have an adverse effect on military readiness, recruitment, and retention.  This is a reasonable compromise, and I will support it when it is considered by the Senate Armed Services Committee this week.”

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Log Cabin Republicans promotes legislation to provide basic fairness for gay and lesbian Americans and works to build a more inclusive GOP. The 30-year old organization has state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time office in Washington, DC, a federal political action committee and state political action committees.