Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown will
be honored by gay GOP group Log Cabin Republicans for backing repeal
of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the policy set to expire on September
20 that bans gay and bisexual troops from serving openly.
“Senator Brown knew that 'Don't Ask,
Don't Tell' was not working and was a critical part of the
legislative team that ended the policy,” said Log Cabin Republicans
Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper.
Brown will receive the group's Spirit
of Lincoln Award at a September 20 fundraiser in Washington, D.C.
“As I said when I voted to repeal
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' when a soldier answers the call to serve and
risks life or limb, it has never mattered to me whether they are gay
or straight,” Brown said in a statement thanking the group for the
honor. “My only concern has been whether their service and
sacrifice is with pride and honor.”
Brown, a tea party favorite, was among
the eight Republicans who voted in favor of repealing the law in
December, but his record on gay rights remains spotty.
While he's said that he believes the
issue of marriage equality is “settled law” in his home state of
Massachusetts, the senator has yet to co-sponsor a bill that would
repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which bars federal
agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay couples, despite
the fact that Massachusetts has filed a lawsuit challenging the
constitutionality of the law.
(Related: Scott
Brown declines to appear in It Gets Better video.)