National
Lieberman unveils Senate ‘Don’t Ask’ repeal legislation
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) is optimistic about repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in lame duck. (Blade photo by Michael Key).
U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) introduced a bill Wednesday to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” all the while acknowledging Congress may have to settle with a moratorium as legislative action this year as opposed to outright repeal.
Lieberman touted the legislation — the first Senate bill introduced to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — during a press conference on Capitol Hill.
“This legislation will repeal the current policy of discrimination based on sexual orientation in America’s armed forces and offer in its place a policy of equal opportunity to serve and defend our country,” he said.
The Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010 would repeal the 1993 law barring gay, lesbian and bisexual people from open service in the U.S. military and put a non-discrimination policy in its place.
To accomplish repeal, the bill would require the Pentagon working group considering “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to submit recommendations on how to best repeal the law to Defense Secretary Robert Gates no later than 270 days after the bill is enacted.
Additionally, the bill would require Gates to issue regulations to enact the bill within 60 days of receipt of the working group’s report, and it requires the secretary of each military department to revise regulations as needed no later than 60 days after that.
Kevin Nix, spokesperson for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said the Senate bill is identical to House legislation, sponsored by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), except the Senate bill gives the Pentagon a longer time for implementation.
“This bill reflects the fact that the military wants some time to do the best transition possible to open service,” Nix said.
The Senate bill has 11 eleven co-sponsors. Many appeared at the press conference with Lieberman, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
Levin said he’s been opponent of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” since before it was enacted into law in 1993.
“It diminishes our readiness, it diminishes our strength, it denies us, robs us of the men and women to the defense of our country,” he said.
To follow up on the hearing that took place last month, Levin said he’ll hold another hearing on gays in the military March 18 with an outside panel of experts.
Burris, who’s black, called the introduction of the legislation a “very personal issue of basic fairness,” recalling how his family members were once only allowed restricted roles in the U.S. military.
“For all their skills, all their talents, their intelligence and their valor, they were forced to chose between two or three roles when they were in the service: working as a cook, or digging ditches or driving trucks,” Burris said. “That memory is especially crisp as I stand here today to bring an end to this discriminatory policy.”
Gillibrand vilified “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” for what she said was its extremely harmful impact on the U.S. military.
“This policy is one of the most corrosive, destructive policies to the strength of our armed services, to our military readiness, to our national security and to the morale of our troops,” she said.
Gillibrand said “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was particularly detrimental for women in the armed services.
She said women represent 17 percent of the armed services, but more than one-third of all dismissals, including more than one-half in the Army, are female.
Absent among the co-sponsors is any Republican senator. Despite this initial lack of GOP support, Lieberman said he anticipates Republican support for the legislation as it moves forward.
“I believe we’re going to have some Republican support in this,” he said. “There’s a core group that is openly — that is actively concerned.”
While touting the standalone legislation, Lieberman and Levin said the defense authorization bill would be the most likely legislative vehicle to advance repeal.
The lawmakers also said that if they can’t find the votes this year to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” they would instead try to enact a moratorium on discharges.
During the markup for the defense authorization bill in May, Lieberman said the committee would try for a vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee first on repeal, and if that’s unsuccessful, committee members would pursue a moratorium.
“We’re going to try for a full repeal,” Lieberman said. “If the votes aren’t there in committee or on the floor, a moratorium, I think, is a good interim step and I’ll certainly be open to it.”
But Nix said his organization is still pushing for outright repeal this year as opposed to a moratorium.
“I think it’s premature to talk about the moratorium because we have, as the chairman said, until May to really focus on full repeal, so let’s try to do that first,” Nix said.
In a statement, Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, heralded the introduction of Lieberman’s bill as “continuing the momentum to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ this year.”
“His introduction of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010 is a bold, patriotic move that will long be remembered as key to removing the stain of the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law from the U.S. code,” he said.
Florida
Former Fla. gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum arrested on drug charges
Democrat narrowly lost to DeSantis in 2018, later came out as bisexual
Andrew Gillum, the former Democratic nominee for governor of Florida and former mayor of Tallahassee, was arrested on drug possession charges in Alabama last week.
Police in Daphne, Ala., said they pulled Gillum over for erratic driving and found marijuana and methamphetamine in his vehicle. He was charged with possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, according to the Daphne Police Department. Jail records show he was arrested on July 2 and released on July 3, the Associated Press reports.
Gillum, the first Black nominee of a major political party for governor in Florida, lost the 2018 election to current Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in a highly contentious race.
Once considered a rising star in national politics, Gillum served in Tallahassee’s local government, first as a city commissioner and then as mayor of Florida’s capital from 2014- 2018.
The Daphne Police Department said officers stopped Gillum’s vehicle around 10:45 p.m. and initiated a probable cause search after one officer noticed a glass pipe on the center console.
During the search, officers found several rolled marijuana cigarettes and three packages containing a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, police said.
The day after his arrest he was charged with possession of dangerous drugs, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana.
In 2020, Gillum was involved in a similar incident when he was found in a Miami Beach, Fla., hotel room with a man identified as an escort who had apparently overdosed on drugs. Police also found three bags of suspected crystal methamphetamine in the room. The man survived, and no one was ever charged with a crime.
Later that year, Gillum came out as bisexual during an appearance on “The Tamron Hall Show,” where he discussed his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction and his decision to seek treatment following the 2020 incident.
In the same interview he shed light onto this, saying his substance use was a byproduct of the emotional struggles he experienced after losing the 2018 gubernatorial race to DeSantis.
This is not the first time Gillum has faced legal scrutiny.
During his 2014 mayoral campaign, he faced allegations of misconduct after hiring private equity investor Adam Corey as his campaign treasurer, raising questions about a potential conflict of interest. However, the FBI ultimately concluded there was no conflict of interest.
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia murder suspect remains at large
Two killed, one injured in attacks motivated by victims’ sexual orientation
Police seek the public’s support in finding a suspect wanted in connection with three Philadelphia shootings, including two murders, who may have targeted his victims because they were gay. All three shootings took place near Hunting Park Recreation Center between May 29 and June 26.
The suspect is 21-year-old Jahylin Melchur, who has not been located by police and is not in police custody as of July 7. Police seek the public’s support in tracking down the suspect, whose image was captured on surveillance cameras. Previous reporting underlined that Melchur should be considered armed and dangerous.
Each of the victims was found partially clothed between 10 and 11 p.m.
On May 29, a 55-year-old in Juniata Park was found two miles from the rec center. The victim, who survived the encounter with critical injuries, said a man approached him and announced his intention to rob him, before shooting him in the elbow and torso.
Martin Higgins, 45, was pronounced dead on the bleachers of the rec center’s baseball field on June 20, suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Sharef Holman, 29, was found near the basketball courts on June 26, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Temple University Hospital but died shortly thereafter.
Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore declined to answer the Philadelphia Inquirer’s question regarding whether the victims may have met Melchur on a dating app, citing the ongoing investigation. Sources told the Philadelphia Inquirer that investigators are exploring this possibility
Although robbery may be at least part of the motive in the first shooting, other movies are unclear.
NBC10 reported that law enforcement sources told the station all three victims were targeted because they were gay, but the Philadelphia Police Department did not confirm this.
The Philadelphia Police Department replied to PGN’s questions with an email stating, “This remains a very active investigation, and investigators are looking at all aspects of the case, including underlying motivations for committing these crimes.
“At this point, we can confirm that Melchur is wanted for two homicides by shooting and one non-fatal shooting, all of which occurred in the Hunting Park area.
“The investigation has not established that the victims were specifically targeted because of their sexual orientation.”
The Philadelphia Police Department is urging anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or submit an anonymous tip by calling the PPD Tip Line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
(This story is republished with permission of the Philadelphia Gay News.)
National
Madonna roundup: Reviews, sales, and love for ‘Danceteria’
Pop legend’s new album ‘Confessions II’ earning raves
Madonna isn’t just back, she’s ubiquitous.
From a Times Square takeover to Graham Norton’s couch, the pop legend is busy promoting her new album, “Confessions II,” a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” that is earning rave reviews.
“Madonna’s back in peak form with a fresh and honest dance record that’s not only her best in 20 years, but a genuinely vital addition to her canon,” says Pitchfork.
“Facing grief and loss has made Madonna’s music deeper than it’s been in 20 years, but also more alive,” the Guardian proclaims.
“If everyone in the club is a work of art, as ‘Danceteria’ says, then to live loudly is to make an indelible mark,” according to Vulture.
The album features upbeat dance productions along with some melancholic views on death and loss. On the song “Betrayal,” she reflects on the recent death of her stepmother Joan, singing, “You’ll never take my mother’s place … you betrayed me, you enslaved me.”
On “L.E.S. Girl,” she revisits her early days living on the Lower East Side and struggling to pay the rent. “Bizarre” seems to reference her failed 1980s marriage to actor Sean Penn. “Test” is a duet with daughter Lola Leon, in which she sings, “I wish I knew / The pain I’ve caused / My butterfly / Was always being watched.”
But the emotional high point of the album comes on “Fragile,” which she wrote about the death of her brother Christopher. The two were close early in Madonna’s career and he designed sets for early tours, including “Blonde Ambition.” But they had a falling out after her marriage to Guy Ritchie and he wrote a scathing tell-all book about his sister that led to years of estrangement. The two reconciled after Christopher’s cancer diagnosis and shortly before he died in 2024 at age 63. She sings, “Late last night I was fast asleep/You came to me in a dream/You said, ‘Don’t forget about me/Don’t forget to be happy.’”
Death emerges again but in a much more upbeat context in “Danceteria,” an ode to the iconic New York nightclub that has emerged as a gay favorite single and seems destined to be the song of the summer in queer nightlife. She recounts her pre-fame days trying to convince a DJ to play her first single “Everybody” at the club and name checks Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, best friend Debi Mazar, and DJ Mark Kamins on the track.
Streaming numbers and sales are strong for the new album with projected first week sales of 100,000 ensuring a No.1 debut in the U.S.
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