Philadelphia Gay Leader 'Thrilled' By Repeal Of 'Don't Ask'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The coming end of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy is a historic milestone to a Philadelphia figure who says it's not the last battle for the rights of gays in the US military.
Mark Segal (above), publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News, has been fighting "don't ask, don't tell" for years, and now that it's on its way out, he's more than pleased.
"I'm thrilled, overwhelmed," Segal told KYW Newsradio on Monday. "I think it's a great day for civil rights in the United States. It's a great day for human rights. It's a marked place in history now. When the president signs the bill, it will be a proud moment for us in Philadelphia, particularly, with Representative Patrick Murphy standing by the president's side."
Rep. Murphy (D-Pa.), an Iraq War vet, was a major sponsor of this change.
But Segal says the next fight he sees is not over gay marriage, but ensuring non-discrimination laws across the country, including in parts of Pennsylvania where Segal says it's legal to fire a gay man or lesbian woman for that status alone.
Reported by John Ostapkovich, KYW Newsradio 1060.
