Quigley Continues to Lead the Effort to Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Today, Representative Quigley delivered the following remarks on the House floor:

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2965, a bill to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Just blocks from the Capitol lies Congressional Cemetery, resting place of Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, recipient of the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for his distinguished service in Vietnam. As a Race Relations Instructor, he was instrumental in helping the military overcome its past legacy of racial discrimination, but he fell victim to the Air Force's discriminatory ban on gays and was discharged in 1975.

His headstone, in sight of the Capitol Dome, reads "When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one. As a great man said, "When it comes to matters of equality, it is always the right time to do the right thing."

Our national security and our country's longstanding history of fairness depend upon on it. Today, I urge my colleagues to do the right thing, and support the rule and H.R. 2965, for Technical Sergeant Matlovich, and for our country. Thank you, and I yield back.