Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, applauded President Obama’s promise during the State of the Union address to “work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.”

Nadler released the following statement:

“Today, I join supporters of equal rights across the country in thanking President Obama for his pledge to repeal the overtly discriminatory policy of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in the U.S. armed forces. For 17 years, the Pentagon has enforced this ridiculous policy against gays and lesbians for no rational reason, an act which is counterproductive to our goal of having a strong, effective and unified military.

“I entirely reject the argument that gays and lesbians serving openly will undermine troop morale – that tired canard is nothing more than bottom-line pandering to intolerance. What truly undermines morale is to tell competent soldiers and military personnel who have committed themselves to serving and protecting our nation that they are not welcome simply because of their sexual orientation. If any service members lack the maturity to work beside gay and lesbian fellow soldiers, then maybe they are not fit to serve in our great military. I congratulate the President for his wisdom in seeking to overturn this offensive policy.”