On Sunday afternoon, I had the honor, along with Daniel Hays of the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance, of presiding at an event at Congressional Cemetery in SE Washington DC. In addition to the hundreds of Civil War veterans buried there and numerous Senators and Representatives, the Congressional Cemetery is the final resting place for Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, USAF, a Vietnam War veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. As many of you know, Sergeant Matlovich was one of the first openly gay service members to fight to stay in the military.

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) has never been as advertised. It was never intended to protect the ability for any military unit to be cohesive. There are numerous studies done by our own Federal government that analyzed the militaries of other allied nations where gay service members serve openly. These studies have proven that there is absolutely no truth to the allegation that gays serving openly have a negative impact on unit cohesion.

The Washington Times speculated yesterday that Marine Commandant James Conway might be gearing up to become a lead opponent of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Until we learn more about General Conway’s views on DADT from Conway himself, and what the Obama Administration plans to do should the general move out on an advocacy agenda, we address the Times article by highlighting glaring omissions in Rowan Scarborough's heavily biased reporting.

(SANTA BARBARA) Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Marine Corps Commandant General James Conway is opposing President Obama's pledge to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," the Washington Times is reporting today. Citing a former senior Pentagon official, the Times says that General Conway, "has emerged in internal Pentagon deliberations as the most outspoken opponent of permitting gay men and women to serve openly in the U.S.