Today is one of those days I am proud to be an American

Today something wonderful happened in Washington D.C. It is a HUGE stepping stone in the right direction in the fight for equal rights for all citizens. The decision the U.S. Senate made to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell was way past time and I am standing up today and giving those senators who voted to repeal this ridiculously absurd mandate. For this rule to have been on the books for 17 years was unbelievable to me and many others in this country due to the fact that this kept soldiers from being who they really were and staying true to themselves. How was it fair of this country to ask these brave men and women to fight for our continued freedom but to make them hide behind the mask of DADT? It wasn't fair to them and I am still appalled that so many of these American heroes had to hide but I am very happy and proud to now know that no other soldier, both current and future, have to hide who they truly are. I don't care if a soldier is gay or not. He or she is going out and putting their life on the line for me. Why the fuck should it matter if they are attracted to the same sex or not? And for those people who say it will affect the other soldiers by the openness of one of their fellow comrades sexuality, I scoff at  that notion. I mean, sure, some soldiers will have a problem with one of their own being different and being gay. That is the nature of life. Some people still have problems with homosexuals. But to  hide it away and pretend it doesn't exist is not the way to handle the situation. We need to face the fact head on that there are gays in the military, just as there are gays in the arts, there are gays in athletics, there are gays in education, and there are gays everywhere. It is time we not only started to accept that but embrace that and the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is just the first step in that progression. I am straight but I stand gladly and proudly with all the millions of gays out there today who are celebrating this monumental decision by our U.S. Senate. And yes this is just the first step towards the ultimate goal of equal right for all people but remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Once more, to the U.S. senators who voted for this repeal, I give you major props and mad applause for doing what is right and for taking a stand against prejudice and inequality for our troops. God bless you all and you all will go down in history as being part of the march onwards to equality.