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For Immediate Release
Contact: AIUSA media office,Email:,media@aiusa.org,Phone: 202-544-0200 x302

Amnesty International USA Welcomes Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Calling the Law "Wrong-headed and Discriminatory"

WASHINGTON

Cristina Finch, government relations director for Amnesty International USA, issued the following comments today welcoming the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":

"The repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law is long overdue - it was wrong-headed and discriminatory. Laws that discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation clearly violate human rights principles. The U.S. Government should never have put this law into effect and should have abolished it long ago.

"Since "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" went into effect, more than 14,000 men and women who were trained and serving in the U.S. military were fired because of their sexual orientation. And at the same time, thousands more lesbian, gay and bisexual service members were forced to hide the core of who they are as human beings. Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will ensure that all service members, regardless of their sexual orientation, are treated with the dignity and respect that all human beings deserve."

Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people - no matter who they are or where they are. We are the world's largest grassroots human rights organization.

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