Scott Brown to play important role in DADT repeal

Will the Senator be friend or foe?

As a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Forces, Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) has an important role to play in the anticipated upcoming vote on a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," (DADT) which could be seen as early as the spring. While Brown is considered an as-yet undecided vote, LGBT advocates are aiming to help the Senator make up his mind.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) last month introduced a repeal of DADT, which must clear the Senate Committee on Armed Forces before it can pass. "The strategy is to try to include this legislation to repeal in the Department of Defense Authorization Bill," said David Stacy, the lead lobbyist on DADT at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). "That's the bill that in 1993 was used to enact 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' so it's a logical and normal vehicle that you would repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' through." In order to include the repeal in the Authorization Bill, a majority of the committee must support it. Therefore, Stacy said, "Scott Brown is a critical vote."

"We're expecting some sort of movement on the bill in the Armed Services Committee in May or June," said DeeDee Edmondson, political director of LGBT advocacy group MassEquality. "There's a lot of different moving parts to everything of course, as it always is in politics, but that is kind of the conventional wisdom."

Historically, Brown -- a Lieutenant Colonel of the Army National Guard -- has been vague on the issue of gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. The Massachusetts Family Institute, a conservative organization that opposes marriage equality, reported prior to Brown's January victory that the Wrentham Republican supported DADT in their voter guide.

During a January interview with Barbara Walters, however, Brown refused to say whether he supported the ban. "I think it's important, because as you know we're fighting two wars right now," Brown said. "I'd like to hear from the generals in the field -- in the field -- the people that actually work with these soldiers to make sure that, you know, the social change is not going to disrupt our ability to finish the job and complete the wars." The newly elected Senator told Walters he would wait to make his opinions known until he'd had a chance to speak with Army representatives.

In a move that threatened recently legalized marriage equality in Washington, D.C., Brown followed the lead of his Republican peers in the early hours of March 25 and voted in favor of halting same-sex marriages in the District of Columbia until a referendum vote could be held (see "Scott Brown casts first anti-gay vote," Bay Windows 4/1/10).

Brown is the only member of the Massachusetts Delegation that isn't a cosponsor of the repeal bills filed in the House and the Senate. Sen. John Kerry called for support in a Boston Herald op-ed last week. "I've never understood why a government would say no to citizens who volunteer to risk life and limb to do their patriotic duty," Kerry wrote. "We should allow gays and lesbians to take their rightful place on our lines, on our ships and in our aircraft not just because it will make us a more just and fair society, but because we will be a safer and stronger one, protected by a military that will be second to none."

With the anticipated repeal vote occurring soon, LGBT activists are keeping their fingers crossed regarding Brown's vote.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," Edmondson said regarding Brown's influence over the proposed repeal. "I think he's open to hearing the issue. I think it's totally different from marriage for him." Edmondson and other activists are hopeful because of the Commonwealth's history as a leading state in gay rights matters (Massachusetts boasts a Congressional Delegation that has almost always supported LGBT rights in Washington). In light of Sen. Brown's future re-election bid in the liberal state and his campaign vows to maintain an independent voice, there is reason to be optimistic.

"I think he gets it because he's in the military, he's been a military man for many years, and I think he understands that letting people serve their country is a very important thing, no matter if they're gay or straight," Edmondson said.

MassEquality and the Human Rights Campaign have joined forces to urge Brown to support the repeal. The organizations share goals of collecting 5,000 postcards expressing support for the repeal, generating 3,000 phone calls to his office from residents of his former State Senate district, and encouraging local military veterans to set up one-on-one meetings with Brown.

Several prominent politicians have offered their support for a repeal, including President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State (under President George W. Bush) Colin Powell, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen.

"I think confidence is very high," Edmondson said of the vote's outcome. "The President is behind it. The Pentagon is behind it. Commanders, generals, [veterans] are behind it as well. It's not just the gay community speaking out against it anymore. You have this new chorus of voices coming in, and it's amazing."

According to a February 2010 poll conducted CBS News and the New York Times, the majority of Americans support a repeal of DADT. A difference in language, however, affected the poll results. Half of those surveyed were asked if they favored permitting "homosexuals" to serve in the military; the other half were asked if they favored allowing "gay men and lesbians." Those who answered the "homosexual" question offered significantly less support for a repeal of DADT than those who answered the "gay men and lesbian" question (34% in favor as opposed to 51% in favor, respectively).

Sen. Brown is a member of the Republican minority of the Senate Committee. Ranking Minority Member is former presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).