As was originally announced on her twitter account, NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is appearing on the Rachel Maddow show tonight.
Gillibrand tweeted:
I'll be on The Rachel @Maddow Show tonight to discuss #DADT repeal and to launch my new DADT Story Project: http://dadtstoryproject.com
The story project site compiles the written stories of several service members whose lives have been impacted by Don't Ask Don't Tell, in addition to allowing others to submit their own stories.
Join me below for more...
The Senator first sought the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" early this summer, when she began talk about attaching a moratorium on the controversial policy to the Defense Authorizations Bill.
Gillibrand has met with the likes of Lieutenant Dan Choi, a US serviceman and Iraq war veteran who was discharged from the Army after his coming out, which he announced publicly on the Rachel Maddow Show almost a year ago.
The repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell has been a hot-button issue for many Democrats, and was among President Obama's talking points during his recent State of the Union.
Gillibrand's launch of this website, in conjunction with the State of the Union and tomorrow's hearing, should help to continue the groundswell of support needed to do away with this ridiculous policy.
Stay tuned for live updates once the Senator comes on the air in a few minutes.
UPDATE:
Tomorrow's hearings on the Don't Ask Don't Tell before the Senate Armed Services committee will be the first discussion of the policy since way back 1993.
Says Gillibrand "Now is the time to act...this very corrosive policy undermines the integrity of our Armed Services."
The Senator pointed out the critical losses the military is sustaining in personnel who speak key languages, i.e. Farsi and Arabic. She also noted the successes of other countries in removing similar policies.
On the DADT Story Project: "I thought the more stories we could bring into the public discourse, it would move this debate forward."
Now, all that is left is for the Hearings tomorrow to get underway and for the Congress to take the necessary action to start moving in the right direction. With Senator Gillibrand clearly among the leading democrats on this issue, it looks to be a matter of time before the needed change is finally in place.
UPDATE2: Video!