I'd like to repost a letter from my partner to Rep Brad Miller (D-NC) who is sponsoring a bill to remove "Don't Ask/Don't Tell" from the UCMJ. Please contact your representative and ask him or her to co-sponsor this bill.

Rep Miller has become a hero in this household, because he consistently stands up and fights for decency and equality. IMHO, if he weren't so desperately needed in the House, he would make a fine president.

Dear Sir,

I have to write again to say thank you for standing up for what is right.

1) Bringing our Troops home, I have been supporter of our troops but not this war on Iraq to steal their oil. I was not happy to be called unpatriotic because I knew this war was a lie from the beginning.
Most folks do not realise you can find just about anything on the internet.
George W Bush, Dick Cheney and many others should be impeached and charged with war crimes.

2) Trying to bring a end to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell nonsense,
I have special reason for that. I volunteered to serve our country and to make a long story short, I was outed and discharged during the "get every fag out of the services" push of the early Ronald Reagan administration. (No, I was not openly out).

I was in Air Traffic Control aboard USS Enterprise, but I did not get my school and because of my discharge was not allowed to even apply for the civilian position. I also did not qualify for VA benefits.

When is this discrimination going to end? I have a long term same sex partner (10 years). We get guff when he wants to attend doctors meetings. He can tell doctor more about what is going on with me than I can, because of the siezures, I have periods when 'no one is home'.

Why is it that we are not considered real people? Married hetrosexual families are allowed in to see doctor together. Our relationship is as deep and means as much to us as any straight marriage. I mean, he puts up with me and my HIV related problems. I am long term HIV survivor 22 yrs Pos, 15 full blown AIDs.

Medicare Part D does not work for me. My partner cannot put me on his work provided Health Insurance. I simply cannot afford the premiums and deductibles. My medicine bill even at 40% of total is still 2 times what my SSD is. I have a siezure disorder and allergic asthma to mold, as well.
Even were we to apply all of our income to meds it would not be enough.
We are like many families living paycheck to paycheck and very little for extras.

I often wonder many days how families with children manage. It saddens me to realize that many of them aren't.

As for legally assigning our partner as healthcare surrogate, power of attorney and wills: such hardly gets a notice from some medical offices. I have watched repeated situatations where one of a long-term gay couple dies, then the 'blood family' comes in and overturns all those legal documents, takes the house, furniture, cars, bank accounts and leaves the survivor (who is usually sick from hiv too) in the street, when he usually has put in at least half.

I have personally witnessed the survivor being evicted with nowhere to go.
This discrimination againsts Homosexuals touches every aspect of my life.
I did not choose this life -- it was given to me at birth.

"WE The People" means ALL the people -- not just those that are "more equal than others", as the Religous NotRight would have it. Besides, how can me and my partner be affecting straight marriages? We stay out of their business and would thank them to stay out of ours.

I have known gay couples that have been together for 20, even 40 or 50 years. Hatred is not a Christian value and getting in my face to quote Leviticus is even more wrong. Christian is the New Testemant, and Christ said " I am the New Covenant" these Christians would do well to remember that.

I have been fired, I have been beaten nearly to death by those that think its ok to kill fags. For instance, I lived in Alabama in 1983 and had some folks in white sheets try to burn a cross on my yard. They also tried to burn my house down. How can that be "moral" or "right"?

The Police did not even bother to show up. Every day there is something to remind me that I somehow don't measure up to Heterosexuals. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" just does not indicate how far this discrimination reaches into our lives.

Sincerely,
/Robert/