[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 21, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H6282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REPEAL OF DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to come before this body today to 
celebrate the end of the discriminatory Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
  For too long, American service men and women selflessly fought to 
protect our freedoms without receiving the same freedoms and 
protections in return. Under this flawed policy, we dismissed 14,000 
patriots from our forces, and we turned away countless more Americans 
who simply wanted to volunteer to defend the country that we share.
  Today our Nation shows the world that we can rise above prejudice and 
fear and take a long overdue step towards protecting our servicemembers 
and reducing discrimination in America.
  But I am sad to say that this weekend, we received a terrible 
reminder that our work is not done. A 14-year-old boy from my community 
who was teased by his classmates about his sexual orientation took his 
own life. This heartbreaking tragedy was needless and should be a 
reminder to all of us that there are many more like Jamey Rodemeyer who 
are made by some to believe that it's not okay to be who they are.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud of how far we've come, but I know that there 
remains a long road ahead of us. I am committed to continuing this 
fight for full equality for all Americans and implore my colleagues to 
do the same.

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