Page 4
3'l?* ^Jortianò (Phserticr
YOU TAUGHT THEM
TO STAND UP.
WE'LL TEACH THEM
TO STAND OUT.
November 2, 2011
President Obama signs legislation to repeal the policy known as ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell. ’
Rights Group Applauds End of Ban
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repealed after 18 years
by M indy C ooper
You've worked hard to get your son or daughter started
on the path to success. With the help ot the U.S. Army,
you can be sure they'll get there. The U.S. Army trains
in 150 career fields, provides money for college and
builds leadership skills that last a lifetime. So if they
want to talk to you about the Army, listen. You made
them strong. We'll make them Army Strong.
Learn more at goarmy.com/for_parents or contact an
Army Recruiter at 1-800-USA~ARMY.
ARMY STRONG.*
You may also speak to a local US Army
Career Counselor at 5 0 3 -2 8 4 -4 0 0 5 or
visit us at 1317 NE Broadway Street,
Portland OR 9 7 2 3 2 .
< 2 0 0 9 . Paid lor by the United States Army.
T he P ortland O bserver
After 18-years of being forced to
hide their identity, the law which
required gay men and women to
conceal their identity while serving
in the Armed Forces, has been re
pealed.
On Sept. 20, the policy known as
“D on’t ask, Don’t Tell,” which was
made into law in 1993 during a na
tional debate over the role of gay
women and men in the military, came
to an official end after more than
13,000 service members had been
discharged under terms of the Con
gressional action.
"The key thing here is that there
are military personnel who have
been putting their lives on the line
for this country, and yet, they
couldn’t be true to who they are and
experience the freedom they fight
for,” said Jeana Frazzini, executive
director of the statewide LGBTQ
advocacy organization Basic Rights
Oregon.
Frazzini said because the military
is a significant institution in this
country, the repeal is a sign of the
larger momentum forequality. “This
is one piece of that bigger picture,”
she said.
President Obama campaigned
with a promise to end the policy
which was enacted after the Penta
gon strongly opposed an attempt
by former president Clinton to lift
the ban on gays in the military en
tirely. Although the repeal seemed
hopeful in early 2010, a delay was
catalyzed by Senate Republicans
who detained action until Demo
crats forced a vote last December.
The repeal followed a ruling by a
federal Judge in California that the
law was unconstitutional. In July,
the decision was upheld by a three-
judge panel which ordered that the
continued
on page 6
The AARP Driver Safety
Program Salutes Our Veterans!
Special Offer to all Oregon Veterans in the Month o f November
To recognize and thank Oregon veterans for their honorable service and dedication to
our country, the AARP Driver Safety Program is proud to offer a FREE classroom
course (a $14 value) to ALL veterans—regardless of age—from November 1 through
November 30, 2011. All military personnel—active duty, retired, guard, or reserv e-
are eligible to receive this nationwide promotion.*
The AARP Driver Safety Program is the nation’s first and largest course for drivers age
50 and older. When you take our course, you'll learn valuable defensive driving skills
and get a refresher on the rules of the road. Plus, once you complete our classroom
course, you could even save money on your car insurance.**
. • ■* *
» » ••••
Don’t miss this special offer! Sign up for a classroom course today, visit
w w w .a a rp .o rg /ve te ra n s or call 1-888-227-7669 (AARP NOW).
www.facebook.com/aarpdsp • www.twitter.com/aarpdsp • www.youtube.com/aarpdriversafety
* Veterans include those individuals who
have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force,
Marines, National Guard/Reserves, or
Coast Guard. To receive the free classroom
course, veterans a n d /o r veterans' spouses
must provide some form of m ilitary identifi
cation, including but not limited to: Military
ID, discharge papers (DD Form 214), Ameri
can Legion card, Veterans of Foreign Wars
(VFW) card, dependent ID card, etc., to the
host organization a n d /o r Instructor. This of
fer is only valid for classroom courses that
occur entirely in November. The offer is not
valid for the online course.
**Upon completion of the course, you may
qualify for an automobile insurance discount
given by your insurance company. Contact
your insurance agent for more details.
-AARP