On June 19, 2009, SALT sent President Obama a letter uring him to take a leadership role in seeking the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and to replace it with a nondiscrimination provision that would allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces.  Reminding the President of his campaign rhetoric, SALT reiterated the demographic data that supports repeal.  In a recent Gallup poll, over 70 percent of the American public believed that gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly in the armed forces.  Perhaps more importantly, in a poll of verterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, 75% reported being "personally comfortable" with gays and lesbians.  Former Chairmen of the Join Chiefs of Staff, John Shalikoshvili and Colin Powell, among other high ranking military officials, have also recognized the time for repeal is now.

To read the entire letter, download the pdf. 

For a brilliant and funny analysis of what's wrong with Don't Ask Don't Tell, watch Stephen Colbert's Operation Iraqi Stephen episode from June 9, 2009.