Washington, D.C., Sept. 10, 2010

The American Humanist Association (AHA) today called on Congress to quickly pass legislation to lift the military’s ban on openly serving gays and lesbians.
 
The AHA’s statement follows Thursday’s ruling by a federal judge in California that the military’s controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is unconstitutional.

“We’ve heard from the American people, we’ve heard from military leaders, and now we’ve heard from a federal judge: ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ is a discriminatory policy that needs to go. It’s time now for Congress to act swiftly to end the policy,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association.

Language to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” is contained in defense authorization bills in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Similarly, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009, which was introduced in both chambers of Congress, would also repeal the ban. The American Humanist Association has supported these efforts to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
  
A forerunner in the fight for LGBT equality, the AHA has been among the first to support civil rights, equal pay for equal work and the right for same-sex couples to marry. The AHA recently launched the LGBT Humanist Council to advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families (http://www.lgbthumanists.org/).

The American Humanist Association (www.americanhumanist.org) advocates for the rights and viewpoints of humanists. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., its work is extended through more than 100 local chapters and affiliates across America.

Humanism is the idea that you can be good without a belief in God.

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