Tampabay.com
FEBRUARY 04, 2010

Crist, Rubio oppose changing 'don't ask, don't tell' policy affecting gays in military

U.S. Senate rivals Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio both said today they oppose abolishing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy affecting gays and lesbians in the military.

The 1993 policy was intended to be a political compromise that let gay
men and women serve so long as they stayed silent about their sexuality. But President Barack Obama and top military leaders say it is time to end the discrimination all together.

"We are a nation at war. The governor believes the current policy has worked, and there is no need to make changes," Crist campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said.

"Marco Rubio supports the current policy and doesn't see any evidence it needs to be changed," spokesman Alex Burgos said.

Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson is taking a cautious approach. A spokesman said he seems supportive but wants to see the results of a year-long study on the proposed change (background here.)

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